Italy extends lockdown to May 3, will allow some businesses to re-open sooner

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced an extension to current nationwide lockdown measures until early next month, as the country continues to struggle with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Conte also said that some businesses which closed as part of Italy’s efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 will be allowed to re-open from April 14 – including stationers, bookshops and kids’ clothing stores. Italy has been one of the hardest-hit nations since the start of the viral outbreak, suffering close to 150,000 confirmed cases and more than 18,800 deaths. The first wave of lockdown measures was introduced in northern areas near the end of February, before being extended across the whole country in early March. 

Earlier Friday, the global death toll from the disease hit 100,000, according to figures compiled by the AFP news agency and by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.