Italy’s Coronavirus Deaths Slow as Government Extends Lockdown

(Bloomberg) -- Italy extended its sweeping containment measures for another two weeks as deaths from Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak slowed.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a press conference Wednesday that a nationwide lockdown will last until April 13. Restaurants, bars and all public venues are closed, all non essential economic activity has stopped and movement within the country is restricted.

“We cannot plan for an easing of the lockdown yet,” Conte said in a televised message.

Health authorities reported 727 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, compared to 837 on Tuesday. This is the lowest number in six days. New cases rose by 4,782 to a total count of patients in the country of 110,574.

The outbreak is showing signs of slowing down after almost four weeks of increasingly stringent measures adopted by the government. Yet Conte must now weigh the risk of relaxing restrictions too soon against the massive economic impact of the lockdown.

On Tuesday, the interior ministry clarified that children are allowed to go on short walks with one of their parents, an easing of the rules the sparked outcry from some local authorities.

The Lombardy region in northern Italy may have reached the peak of new coronavirus cases, governor Attilio Fontana said in a press conference earlier Wednesday, citing statistics experts and epidemiologists.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.