Iran Press/ Europe: The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has leaped by 793 to 4,825, officials said, by far the largest daily spike in absolute terms since the contagion emerged a month ago.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy rose to 53,578 from a previous 47,021, an increase of 13.9 percent, the country's Civil Protection Agency said on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera.
Italy has reported 1,420 deaths since Friday. On Thursday, it overtook China as the country to register most deaths from the highly contagious virus.
The hardest-hit northern region of Lombardy remains in a critical situation, with 3,095 deaths and 25,515 cases so far.
The Mediterranean nation of 60 million has been under an effective lockdown since March 12, when public gatherings were banned and most stores shuttered.
Police were out in force across the streets of Rome on Saturday, checking documents and fining those outside without a valid reason, such as buying groceries.
Joggers were asked to run around the block of their houses, parks, and beaches were closed, and the government in Rome prepared to extend the school and other closures into the summer months.
The new respiratory virus, known officially as COVID-19, has spread to every continent except Antarctica as well as every single European country.
The number of diagnosed cases globally has surpassed 300,000 with more than 13000 deaths, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Over 95,000 people with diagnosed cases have recovered.
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