Premier Giuseppe Conte's cabinet
is scheduled to meet at 19:30 on Friday to look at a first set
of measures to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus
outbreak.
"This first decree will be quite broad and approved in record
time," Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri.
"There will be a second decree next week for direct support
of the economy".
A draft of a decree set to be approved features a six-month
suspension of utility bills and trash-collection taxes for the
areas hit by the epidemic.
It is also set to give small and medium-sized enterprises
priority access to funding and income-support for workers who
are laid off or have their hours cut because of the crisis.
Furthermore, firms in the coronavirus areas will be able to
take a 12-month break from mortgage payments and in some cases
it will be possible to request a delay in payment of tax and
social-security contributions.
There will also be a clampdown on attempts to cash in on the
crisis with speculative price hikes on products that are in high
demand because of the emergency, such as face masks.
The package has special measures for the tourism sector,
which is one of the hardest hit areas of the economy.
Gualtieri stressed that the decree being examined on Friday
will not just regard measures for the coronavirus hotspots.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
