ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2020) The Italian government decided to prolong the coronavirus-linked state of emergency, which was set to expire on Friday, until October 15, Italy's media reported.
The decision was made on late Wednesday after it had been supported by both chambers of the parliament, the ANSA news agency reported.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed that the prolongation of the state of emergency was an inevitable move as COVID-19 continued to circulate in the country.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 16.8 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 662,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Italy was one of the first European countries that faced the COVID-19 outbreak and declared the 6-month state of emergency on January 31. The nation has confirmed over 246,000 COVID-19 cases so far, with more than 35,000 fatalities.
