Italians are in revolt over the government’s cautious lockdown exit strategy, with the mayor of Venice saying the World Heritage city is a “social bomb” ready to explode with anger and frustration. Italy has been under draconian restrictions since March 9 in Europe’s longest coronavirus lockdown, and the strain is beginning to tell for millions of people as the nation’s death tolls climbs above 27,000. The collapse of tourism has brought the lagoon city to its knees, said Luigi Brugnaro, a businessman who has been Venice’s mayor for the last five years. “We’re unfortunately facing a social bomb which is already primed. People are tired and angry and we are struggling to hold it together,” he said.
