(Bloomberg)
Italy’s lockdown should be prolonged for at least another couple of weeks, Lombardy’s top health official said in a TV interview.
“Clearly, we cannot stay indoors forever, but we believe that this sacrifice needs to be continued at least for another two to three weeks,” Giulio Gallera, top health official of the Lombardy region said on Canale 5. “Then, we’ll have to use precautions –masks, or other facial protections– to avoid starting another round of outbreaks.”
Italy reported the lowest single-day coronavirus deaths in 2 1/2 weeks Sunday, an early sign that weeks of strict confinement measures to contain the outbreak are finally starting to bear fruit.
Italy remains on a strict lockdown, with the hard-hit Lombardy region, which has Milan as its capital, requiring since Sunday that citizens leaving their homes shield their mouths and noses with masks or other coverings. The region has also asked residents to continue to remain inside for all but essential activities, after seeing an increase in people venturing outside in defiance of the quarantine. The region of Tuscany has followed suit with similar rules.