The landmark Duomo Cathedral, its spires towering over Milan, is closed. So is La Scala, Italy’s premier opera home, and the town’s universities and colleges. Bars are shuttered on the sacred aperitivo hour. The normally buzzing streets, trams, eating places and retailers are all eerily empty.

Non-public firms, together with the insurance coverage large Generali, the financial institution UniCredit, and the style model Armani, have adopted to various levels a “sensible working” coverage — that’s, working from residence.