Coronavirus Outbreak: Italy may relax lockdown measures by April end if spread of COVID-19 continues to slow, says PM Giuseppe Conte
FirstpostGiuseppe Conte also said, ‘We need to pick sectors that can restart their activity. If scientists confirm it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month’ Rome: Italy may start gradually lifting some restrictions in place to contain the new coronavirus by the end of April, provided the spread of the disease continues to slow, prime minister Giuseppe Conte told the BBC on Thursday. If scientists confirm it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month,” Conte told the British broadcaster. The decline has raised hopes the virus is on the retreat thanks to a nationwide lockdown, though the number of new cases rose 3,836, compared with 3,039 on Tuesday, to reach 139,422, the third highest globally behind the United States and Spain. Branches of employers lobby group Confindustria representing the northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, which account for 45 percent of Italy’s economic output, called on the government on Wednesday to set out a “roadmap” for a return to work.