ROME, Mar 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – Italy reported 6,557 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, raising the total to 53,578, since the pandemic first broke out in its north on Feb 21, according to the latest data, provided by the Civil Protection Department, managing the COVID-19 emergency.
A further 793 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s death toll to 4,825. The number of active virus infections increased to 42,681, not counting recoveries and fatalities.
Recoveries were steadily growing as well, with 943 new recoveries declared, totalled at 6,072, Civil Protection Chief, Angelo Borrelli, said.
As for the 42,681 people currently positive, some 22,116 of them were under home confinement, another 17,708 were hospitalised, and 2,857 in intensive care.
“The spread of the virus remains high, and in particular across those areas already under pressure,” National Health Institute (ISS) President, Silvio Brusaferro, told the press conference.
Brusaferro added, the spread of the COVID-19 was being detected across other areas as well, yet “still in limited numbers.”
“The main reason behind the tough restrictions imposed by the government, on people’s movement, is exactly to avoid the virus from spreading across the whole country, as it is doing in the most affected areas,” Brusaferro stressed.
In the latest effort to further reduce the movement of people, all public parks and gardens across the country were closed, starting from Saturday morning, following a specific order from the Health Ministry.
