Italy recorded 1,210 new cases of coronavirus in twenty-four hours, confirming the clear resumption of the epidemic, closely linked to travel and summer entertainment for vacationers, according to an official report published on Sunday.
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There had already been 1071 new cases on Saturday, after 947 Friday, 845 Thursday and 642 Wednesday.
Lombardy (Milan region) took the lead again with 239 additional people affected, followed by Lazio (Rome region, with 184 more cases) and the Venice region (+145 cases).
The new health ministry report shows seven deaths, bringing the total number of victims to 35,437 since the start of the epidemic.
Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza ruled out a general reconfinement of his country on Sunday, judging that the situation was under control.
The country currently has only 18,438 cases, including 69 in intensive care. More than 200,000 people have been cured in recent months.
According to Raniero Guerra, deputy director of the WHO, the increase in positive subjects is explained by an “undeniable” increase, but also by “a more developed use of tests”.
On Sunday, Italy effectively exceeded the threshold of eight million tests carried out since the start of the epidemic, with 67,371 additional tests in 24 hours.
Positivity tests are now compulsory for holidaymakers returning from four countries (Spain, Greece, Croatia, Malta).
On Sunday, many of them were also voluntarily undergoing a nasal test in the port of Civitavecchia north of Rome, disembarking ferries from Sardinia, AFP noted.
A third of the new cases identified on Sunday in the Rome region are linked to stays in Sardinia.
Sign of rising concern, the president of Campania [autour de Naples] suggested again limiting travel between regions by the start of the school year.
And the president of the region of Sicily has defied the government by issuing an order closing all its migrant reception centers, which he considers conducive to the spread of the coronavirus. A declaration of a political nature, because such a decision is the responsibility of the State.
The majority of new contagions concern young people who have attended party places in Sardinia or elsewhere, being asymptomatic.
“We are not sure that very mild symptoms today cannot translate into visible damage in the medium to long term. Better not to catch the virus because there is starting to be strong evidence of problems also appearing with very few symptoms, “Raniero Guerra warned on Sunday in the newspaper. Corriere della Sera.