Central Piazza della Repubblica on Friday was filled with the usual bustle of people going to work or heading to their own activities. From this key junction located behind the central train station, a network of large streets leads to Rome's historic center and to its complex of historical monuments, ministries, offices and shops.

Many passers-by, but not all, were not wearing face masks, as it will be allowed outdoor from now on in Italy, according to recent provisions that eased some anti-COVID restrictions.

Key pandemic statistics have been improving across the country, and the new wave of infections brought about by the Omicron virus variant in winter seems to be weakening.

Yet, some people would not feel at ease, nor relieved, to walk without face protection. "I am a bit puzzled, to be honest," Antonella Marchina, 52, told Xinhua while wearing a mask.

She said that despite the positive signals registered lately, the number of daily infections and fatalities was still high to let people walk and mix without face masks.

"Only 45 days ago, between Christmas and New Year Eve, we were registering staggering figures of some 100,000 new cases per day or above ... to let people walk without face masks now seems still imprudent to me," she explained.

She did not seem to be alone in thinking this way. Many other people on Friday could be seen walking around with either a surgical or an FFP2 mask on, as if this rule had not changed.

Introduced with a specific decree signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza on Feb. 8, the measure would now allow staying outdoor without masks anytime but in case of gatherings. This means people are still required to always bring their masks along with them.

And masks remain necessary in any place indoor (in some of them, such as theaters, only FFP2 masks are allowed) up to March 31 at least, according to current rules.

As part of a new phase of gradual reopening -- which included reopening discos, dance clubs, and nightclubs from Friday -- lifting the mandatory use of masks outside also held a strong symbolic value, according to health authorities and citizens.

"Indeed, it seems to me a signal of hope that things are gradually getting better, after another winter under the pandemic," Gianluca, a 24-year-old student, told Xinhua.

The man wore no mask, but kept it at ready in one of his jacket's pockets.

"It is always with me ... even if I welcome the decision to lift its use outdoor, the pandemic is still ongoing. Sometimes, I even wonder if we will ever feel comfortable to abandon face masks completely, after having used them for so long," he noted.

On Friday, Italy's National Health Institute (ISS) unveiled its usual weekly epidemiological report, which confirmed pandemic trends were improving.

The 7-day incidence stood at 962 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the week Feb. 4-Feb. 10 against 1,362 cases in the previous week, according to the report. This benchmark has halved in some 21 days, after reaching a new peak of 2,011 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the week ending on Jan. 21.

The rate of bed occupancy by COVID-19 patients also dropped to 26.5 percent in ordinary wards on Feb. 10 against 29.5 percent registered on Feb. 3, and that of intensive care units fell to 13.4 percent against 14.8 percent on the same dates. 

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