No safety net for millions in black economy amid lockdowns

Bricklayer Salvatore La Barbera is worried that in a matter of days his family of four will run out of food and, with Italy locked down by coronavirus, there is no way he can earn money to buy more.

“Working in the black market is impossible, because the police ask why you are walking in the street,” he told Reuters from Palermo, the capital of Sicily. “They want to know everything and you risk being fined.”