Italy might extend its state of emergency due to the new coronavirus (Covid-19) past 31 July, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Friday.
“Reasonably, the conditions exist to extend the state of emergency due to coronavirus,” he said.“We haven’t decided yet,” Conte specified, but “we’re moving in that direction.”
“It is a collective decision that we will take in the Council of Ministers,” Conte said, adding that “a possible extension means that we will be able to continue to take the necessary measures, even of limited scope.”
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Italy originally declared its state of emergency over the coronavirus on 31 January 2020.
The country has been heavily affected by the new coronavirus, with 242,149 confirmed cases and 34,914 deaths as of Thursday, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Italy was also the first country to apply for the European Union’s Solidarity Fund, which was created to finance expenses that would either provide immediate assistance to the affected population or cover the prevention and monitoring of health risks.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
