Italy virus official warns against lockdown lift

Italy's extraordinary commissioner for the coronavirus emergency warned regional governments to be very cautious in pitting health concerns against economic worries when deciding to ease some lockdown measures.

Domenico Arcuri told reporters on Saturday that there is ''no competition'' between health and safety and economic resumption.

On the contrary, he warned, without strict health measures the economic revival will not happen or it won't last long enough to produce positive effects.

The warning came after authorities in Lombardy and other regions have been pressing the central government to start relaxing some restrictive measures on factories and many other businesses.

Arcuri put the COVID-19 emergency in perspective and noted that during World War II in Milan, the capital of the northern region of Lombardy, 2,000 were killed under bombings.

In two months, coronavirus killed more than 11,851 people in the region.

Lombardy, the leader of Italy's industrial production and economy, has by far the biggest number of people infected with the coronavirus.

The current lockdown decree runs through May 3 and health experts keep advising that any easing must be gradual.

Italy is one of the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 172,000 cases and nearly 23,000 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.

(Image Credit: AP)