Health Minister Roberto Speranza has said the situation in Italy in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic should be very different this summer compared to how things are at the moment.
But he also stressed that the COVID-19 restrictions will have to be relaxed gradually and said there will be no "X hour" when everything suddenly goes back to normal.
"But I'm optimistic," Speranza said in an interview in Monday's La Repubblica.
"If we manage to vaccinate most of the population, we will be able to allow much more freedom this summer".
Speranza said the authorities have decided to extend the time between the first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to 42 days, up from 21 and 28 respectively, to make it possible to give more people some degree of cover.
He also said over-60s will be able to go to vaccination hubs without an appointment to get jabs with any leftover shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
But he stressed that, at the moment, the priority remains people over 80 and then those in the 70-80 age range.
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