Too many people without masks on the streets. Yes, it was hotter than hell. But the virus doesn't take a vacation. The ferries don't have to adhere to distances but masks are required (we didn't know that when we bought the tickets and boarded). Many kept pulling their masks down on the way over from Salerno, putting it back up when the employees passed through the cabin. The upper deck was all full, and less masks because in theory it's not required outdoors, though that stipulates "when proper distance can be ensured". Same for the streets - mask not required but when distances can't be ensured, you're supposed to wear it. You can see in the photos that is not the case by many people, foreign tourists and Italian tourists alike. It was disconcerting to us.
Beaches give more distance than previously, but not like what we are used to in our area. The outlying beaches of Positano that you take a boat to were all completely full, since we hadn't reserved we couldn't get in at any of those. We found that one of the concessions on Marina Grande was half-empty so took an umbrella/sun beds there, choosing to stay in the middle where nobody else was. (Easier to avoid stinky perfumey sun creams many people use, as well as ensuring nobody would be moving their chairs around to get the sun and thus infringe on our safe zone.) There were way too many people using the port area, grouped up on the beach and in the water, and seemed like nobody was checking on that. But when we took the ferry to Amalfi, walking along and looking at the beaches there, every single umbrella/chair was occupied at all of the lidos.
In short, that article may have been written in May or beginning of June for its deadline and then printed (as happens often to me as a writer, my deadline was last week for an article that will print in October), but things are definitely not uncrowded on the Amalfi Coast! One gruff guy in Positano turned us away when we wanted to sit down for something cold to drink at 11:15, telling us "we are not a bar but a restaurant!" Well, if you wanted to make easy, fast money you could have served us an overpriced drink, seeing as nobody was there and the tables looked like cafe tables more than dining tables.
TOO crowded for us - lesson learned. Staying in Basilicata/Cilento for beach outings!