The Italian government will end the Covid-19 state of emergency on March 31, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said, promising a gradual return to normal life after more than two years of the health crisis.

The state of emergency, which allows officials to intervene swiftly and bypass bureaucracy, was first introduced on Jan 31, 2020 and has been repeatedly renewed since then, Reuters reports.

“We will continue to closely monitor the pandemic situation, ready to intervene in case of an outbreak. But our goal is to reopen fully, as soon as possible,” Draghi said in a speech in the art city of Florence.