WEB DESK
Italy reported its seventh death from the new coronavirus yesterday, but officials called for calm and reported a lower rise in the number of infections after a spike over the weekend.
Head of Italy’s civil protection department Angelo Borelli said that the number of new coronavirus cases now stood at 229, the highest number in Europe. Six of the dead have been in the northern Lombardy region, where villages have been put under lockdown and security measures enforced in a bid to stem the spread of the disease.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said that residents could face weeks in lockdown in an effort to sit out the virus. Eleven towns — 10 in Lombardy and one in neighbouring Veneto — are under lockdown, with some 50,000 residents prohibited from leaving. Regional authorities have ordered gathering spots, such as schools, bars, restaurants, cinemas and discos to close. The spread of the virus has disrupted high-profile events including Milan Fashion Week and the Venice Carnival, while Serie A football matches have been postponed. Operas have also had to be cancelled at Milan’s famed La Scala.