During the first phase of the health emergency (March 9-May 4, 2000), the shutdown of economic activities caused a blockage of operations especially for smaller Italian businesses, that in our country represent a high percentage of employment and economic output of the Italian production system. Over 70 percent of businesses (73.7 percent in terms of employment) reported a reduction of turnover compared to the same period of 2019, a widespread condition in all sectors, with higher percentages in the consumer goods industry. However, the reaction came rapidly in months when businesses began to reopen: 57 percent of Italian businesses chose expansion of their production activities as a reaction strategy to the Covid-19 crisis, a phenomenon that was seen in particular in the industrial sector (34.7 percent) and commercial sector (31.6 percent). On the other hand, 20.9 percent of businesses developed strategies for reorganization.