paris sources stated that coronavirus has claimed 1,016 lives in italy, officials said, adding at least 15,113 people are infected with the virus. Civil protection officials say 1,258 have recovered, although the number of cases has gone up by 2,651 since Wednesday. italy is the world's worst-hit country after China. Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said he hopes his country will be the first in europe to get over the emergency.
He said the measures imposed in the first area of the outbreak were proving effective. Two weeks after the first 10 towns in northern italy were declared a "red zone" and put under lockdown, he said they had no new infections. This then served as a model to tighten measures across the country. "Italy was the first nation in europe to be affected so badly," said Di Maio. "But I hope it also means that italy is the first one to leave the emergency behind."
Movement has been limited to urgent medical or professional need. All shops are now closed, except for pharmacies and those stocking food; companies have been ordered to shut non-essential departments; a wide range of venues from theatres to schools and hairdressers to museums are closed. Mr Di Maio said Our grandfathers were drafted to go to war; we're being asked to stay at home. If a doctor and a nurse can work for 24 hours non-stop, we can give up leaving our own home. The huge majority of citizens are respecting the rules. Those who aren't will face sanctions: either fines or criminal charges.
