Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala erupted over pictures of younger individuals who were not following social distancing measures on Friday.
He focused on economic issues stemming from the coronavirus lockdown measures, saying “a handful of crazy people” were jeopardizing the recovery of the economy by ignoring rules in place to curb the spread of the virus, The Associated Press reported.
“There are moments when it is time to get pissed off. And this is one of those moments,” Sala said, adding, “We are not just in a health crisis … but we are in a deep socio-economic crisis.”
Earlier this week, more than 4 million Italians were allowed to return to work, leading to higher populations of people outside in contrast to previous conditions during the peak of the pandemic in the nation.
Sala had warned the public earlier this week that parks would be closed once again if residents gathered in large crowds or ignored measures requiring them to keep their masks on.
“I won’t allow a handful of crazy people without masks, sitting one next to the other put everything in doubt,” Sala said.
He added that the behavior he witnessed could jeopardize plans for workers to return to their retail jobs on May 18 and June 1, when bars and restaurants will begin reopening seats for dining in, the report said.
Milan has endured one of the most substantial pandemic lockdowns, requiring residents to stay inside for two months and venture out only for essential goods. The city makes up more than a third of Italy’s 217,185 reported virus cases, the AP reported.
A local restaurant association in Milan reportedly said that 2,000 of the city’s 7,000 establishments might not reopen due to the economic stress caused by the pandemic.