(Bloomberg) -- Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi singled out the U.K.'s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as a great example -- of what not to do.
The former European Central Bank president said the British approach, which involved a sudden lifting of restrictions on a July 19 “Freedom Day,” shows the need for nations to slowly reopen.
“The U.K., one of the countries that conducted its vaccination campaign with great speed, after abandoning all caution, today has around 50,000 daily new cases and 200 dead yesterday,” Draghi said Wednesday, addressing Italy's lower house of Parliament.
“The exit will need to be gradual,” said Draghi, who is guiding his country through a reopening in stages.
The U.K.'s new daily Covid-19 cases have persisted above 30,000 since early September, and on Wednesday it recorded 179 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
By contrast, Italy reported 33 deaths and 3,702 new cases Wednesday. Its population of about 60 million compares with about 67 million in the U.K.
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