Italy to extend coronavirus lockdown measures to April 13

A sanitation worker wearing a protective suit and a face mask carries out the cleaning at Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy, on March 31, 2020. (Photo by Daniele Mascolo/Xinhua)

Italy will extend coronavirus lockdown restrictions imposed last month to April 13 to counter the spread of the virus, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Wednesday.

The country reported a total of 110,574 cases of COVID-19 with the death toll reaching 13,155 as of Wednesday.  

Overall, the increase in the number of people hospitalized and deaths have slowed down, Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli told a televised press conference late Wednesday afternoon.

The number of people recovered rose by 1,118 cases to a total of 16,847 since the pandemic broke out in the northern regions of the country on February 21.