on March 23, 2020 shows a pallbearer taking a picture of a coffin
for the relatives of a deceased person at the cemetery of
Grassobbio in the province of Bergamo, as they could not attend the
ceremony because they are in quarantine as a result of the COVID-19
novel coronavirus. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)
More than 60,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Italy
since the pandemic hit early this year, according to the latest
official toll published Sunday.
Restrictive measures aimed at stemming the spread of the virus
were nonetheless eased in several regions as the rate of infections
stabilised and pressure eased on hospitals.
Italy, the first European country to be hit by the global
pandemic, has recorded 60,078 deaths from 1,728,878 infections, the
health ministry reported.
Despite steps the government has taken to curb the latest
outbreak and care for the sick, hundreds of people are still dying
daily.
Italy saw a record 993 deaths on Thursday, the highest toll
since the outbreak began in the first months of the year.
It is among the countries with the highest numbers of deaths
compared to its population with 98 fatalities per 100,000
inhabitants.
Its mortality rate, or the ratio of deaths to infections, stands
at 3.47 percent. Only Britain has a higher rate in Europe with 3.55
percent.
By comparison, Spain’s rate is 2.75 percent and France is at
2.35 percent.
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza warned that “if we drop
our guard, we run the risk of finding ourselves in January and
February facing a new (infection) surge.
“And that we cannot allow,” he told SkyTG24 television.
But the government’s colour-coded system of risk rating showed
that several regions were deemed to be facing a lower risk,
allowing inhabitants to move about more freely.
The risk was downgraded from red, the highest level, to orange
in Tuscany, Campania and the Aosta Valley, and from orange to
yellow in five other regions.
On Monday, Abruzzo, the last red region, is also to turn orange,
according to regional premier Marco Marilio.
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On Thursday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte outlined a set of
restrictive measures to be put in place around Christmas.
He announced a ban on movements between regions from December 21
until January 6, including for Italians who wanted to spend time in
second homes.
There is also a ban on moving from one town to another for
December 25 and 26 as well as on January 1.
A curfew from 10 pm until 5 am remains in place, lasting until 7
am on New Year’s Day.
Ski slopes and mechanical lifts are to remain closed until
January 7.
AFP
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