Following this evening’s announcement, Serie A clubs can begin preparing to start training in groups from May 18 and playing games from June 2, so the season could end in mid-July.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a lengthy press conference this evening, in which he announced Phase 2 of the coronavirus pandemic response will begin from May 4.

This includes the ability to train individually, or at least while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

These have been clarified as one metre if walking, but two metres if running, so squads would be permitted to train in very small groups that kept their distance.

This is entirely possible for most Serie A clubs, who have several training ground pitches at their camps and can spread the players out.

They could in theory even perform passing routines and practice positioning, as long as they kept at a distance of at least one metre.

The next stage would be from May 18, when teams can train together in groups and truly begin to prepare for the return of the football season.

Players are already going to be rigorously tested every day initially for COVID-19 with swabs and blood tests, then kept in a training camp for those few weeks to ensure no outside contamination.

This will make it unlikely that any player becomes infected and, if he does, he’ll be quickly identified and isolated.

On May 18, Italy will also open up museums, libraries and art galleries, while bars and restaurants can accept takeaway orders rather than just delivery.

Finally, PM Conte named June 2 as the third stage of opening up the country, including activities that require people to be in closer contact, such as salons, barbers and massage parlours.

Naturally, this also means that from June 2 there ought to be the all-clear for football matches to resume, one assumes behind closed doors.

If the fixture list were to get back on track from June 2-10, then the Serie A season could feasibly be completed by July 15-30, playing twice a week.

It would then leave August free for the Champions League and Europa League matches.

Over 26,000 people have died in Italy since the first confirmed COVID-19 case on February 20 and the country has been in lockdown since March 10.