ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says his country was not expecting such a rapid spike in the number of coronavirus cases, but the measures taken to prevent the spread will yield results in the next two weeks.
"We think that the measures taken against coronavirus for the next 14 days can show effectiveness in its containment. We are carrying out thousands of checks," Conte said in an interview aired by the Italian Canale 5.
According to the prime minister, the measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Italy were unique have not been taken in any other country.
Speaking on Rai3 tv on Sunday, Conte admitted that he was "surprised by the bursting number of [coronavirus] cases" but assured that the Italian authorities were searching for hotbeds of the infection and doing everything to contain the virus.
On Sunday, the number of registered coronavirus cases reached 152 in Italy. Three people died from COVID-19 in the country. Most of the cases (over 100) have been reported in the northern Lombardy province, as well as in the neighboring Veneto.
Educational institutions in Italy are suspending classes, cultural and sports events are being cancelled. The world-famous Venice Carnival was cut short amid the spread of coronavirus in Italy.
Several towns and communities affected by the virus are now on lockdown in Italy's northern regions.
