Italy reports 889 new deaths, slowdown in infections

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) - Italy on Saturday reported 889 new deaths from coronavirus, bringing the total number of victims to 10,023, the highest in the world.

The latest figures provided by the Italian Civil Protection Department, however, showed that both the daily death rate and the increase in contagion cases grew a bit slower than Friday.

Current contagions rose by 5% to reach 70,065, compared with a 7% rise on Friday. The total number of recovered people reached 12,384.

The epicenter of the outbreak in the country remains the northern Lombardy region, which counts 5,944 victims alone.

Italian experts said on Friday that the country had not reached the peak of contagions yet, but added that since March 19-20 the curve had shown a slowdown.

Italy’s Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said on Saturday it had seemed “unrealistic” that the almost total lockdown imposed on Italian citizens would end, as planned, on April 3.

The government is expected to approve a new emergency decree by the beginning of April that would likely extend the lockdown measures for another two weeks.

Italy’s premier Giuseppe Conte has also promised a new package of measures aimed at shielding the country’s struggling economy from a painful recession. He said the new measures would worth at least €25 billion ($27.9 billion).