Italy warns some lockdown measures may continue

Italian health authorities confirmed on Friday that red zones with strict movement restrictions in specific areas of the country could continue even after the end of a national lockdown on a case by case basis.

Giovanni Rezza, director of the Infectious diseases department of the Italian Health Institute, said that the new coronavirus spreading trend is noticeably declining despite daily figures by the Italian Civil Protection appearing to show otherwise.

He explained that the high number of new cases reported daily by the Civil Protection was related to infections that could have taken place up to 20 days earlier.

Italian health authorities confirmed that most of the new cases are coming from a lack of social distancing, adequate protections in hospitals as well as care homes for elderly people.

Officials have acknowledged that the country’s official death toll of more than 22,000 understates the true number, primarily because it doesn’t include those who died in nursing homes and were not tested.

A government survey released Friday of about one-third of Italy's nursing homes found more than 6,000 residents have died since February 1. It was unclear how many were a result of COVID-19.

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

But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.