There are now 1,049 positive Coronavirus cases in Italy, with the death toll climbing to 29, as the lockdown in Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna is extended by another seven days.
The latest update was provided in a press conference by the Italian Government.
It took the statistics to 1,128 who have tested positive, of which 29 have died and 50 made a full recovery.
Until now, all the deaths were cases who already had pre-existing health conditions, but the hospital in Cremona today confirmed “there are some young people in intensive care. This virus is 500 times more ferocious than SARS.”
There are now three players of Serie C side Pianese who have been diagnosed, along with a team manager.
The majority of the cases have been in the Lombardy region, which includes Milan and Bergamo.
It was confirmed this evening that schools will remain shut for all of next week in the Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions.
This also applies to major public and sporting events, so there could well be more matches called off or played behind closed doors.
However, the restrictions are lifted in other regions where the outbreak has been largely contained, such as Piedmont (including Turin), Friuli and Liguria.
A statement confirmed schools will be open again in Piedmont from Wednesday.
The Coppa Italia semi-final between Juventus and Milan is due to be played in Turin on Wednesday evening and it’s now very likely this will be played with only fans from the local area allowed in.
The same should be true of Thursday’s match between Napoli and Inter at the Stadio San Paolo.
Milan is in Lombardy, so having supporters travel from the most affected area would be considered a danger to public health.
This weekend, Serie A fixtures Udinese-Fiorentina, Milan-Genoa, Parma-SPAL, Sassuolo-Brescia and Juventus-Inter were moved to May 13.
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