Italy extends coronavirus lockdown until May 3

ROME (REUTERS): Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced the extension of the nation-wide lockdown until May 3, as the badly impacted country continues to fight the coronavirus outbreak.   

The curbs on the movement of people and the closure of most shops and businesses across Italy were imposed on March 9 and were scheduled to expire on Monday (April 13).

In a televised press conference, the Italian Prime Minister said that the decision follows wide consultations with scientists, regional and business leaders.

He further said, “Just a few activities will be allowed to reopen from April 14, including book and stationery stores and clothing shops for babies and children.”

Italian Prime Minister said that factories shuttered by the lockdown could not yet return to work. He also dashed the hopes of industry chiefs who have warned of economic catastrophe, with workers’ wages at risk and a possible permanent loss of market share.

The Prime Minister also said, “This is a difficult but necessary decision, for which I take full responsibility,” adding “We can’t undermine the efforts we’ve done until now if we give up, we risk having to restart from scratch.”

However, the premier informed that his scientific advisers have confirmed that the cases of coronavirus has slowed down, but warned that the risks of a rebound remains high.

Earlier on Friday, Italy reported 570 more deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,849 – still the highest worldwide.