ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday proposed to the national parliament to extend the state of emergency in the country over the coronavirus pandemic until October.
Initially, the Italian cabinet declared a coronavirus-related state of emergency in late January for half a year after the first cases were detected among foreign tourists in the country.
"This morning, at the meeting of the Council of Ministers, we were briefed on information on this topic but did not make any decision. After studying all the instructions and opinions, we understood that it was necessary to limit the temporary extension [of a state of emergency] until October," Conte said while addressing the Senate.
According to the prime minister, the extension is needed, first of all, because the data of the scientific and technical committee under the Italian government showed that the virus continued to circulate in the country.
"The international situation is still causing concern, as well as what is happening in some neighboring countries," Conte added.
The minister also said that without extending the state of emergency many government decrees currently in place would lose force, adding that without these special decrees will be impossible to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
So far, Italy, one of the first global epicenters of the outbreak, has confirmed more than 246,000 cases of the coronavirus infection and 35,123 fatalities. Meanwhile, over 198,000 COVID-19 patients have fully recovered. In July, the daily increment in the number of infections ranges between 200 and 300. In general, the number of cases and victims per day corresponds to the level of the initial period of the epidemic in late February-early March.
