By , MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave mayors the power to shut public squares from 9 p.m. to halt gatherings as he unveiled a further package of measures on Sunday to try to halt a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.As daily cases in Italy hit a new record 11,705 on Sunday, Conte said the situation had become critical but his government has been determined to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed at the start of the crisis in March.“The situation is critical. The government is there but everyone must do their part,” he told a news conference.As well as ordering...…By , MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave mayors the power to shut public squares from 9 p.m. to halt gatherings as he unveiled a further package of measures on Sunday to try to halt a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.As daily cases in Italy hit a new record 11,705 on Sunday, Conte said the situation had become critical but his government has been determined to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed at the start of the crisis in March.“The situation is critical. The government is there but everyone must do their part,” he told a news conference.As well as ordering...WW…

By MILAN (Reuters) - Italians came out on Saturday to sing together from windows and balconies and applaud their hard-pressed doctors and nurses as the death toll from Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak kept climbing.The government has imposed an unprecedented series of controls since the virus emerged in northern Italy on Feb. 21, banning public gatherings, forbidding all but essential travel and telling people to stay at home.Schools, restaurants and most shops have been closed but the government has allowed companies to keep operating and has promised tax breaks and other support to...…By MILAN (Reuters) - Italians came out on Saturday to sing together from windows and balconies and applaud their hard-pressed doctors and nurses as the death toll from Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak kept climbing.The government has imposed an unprecedented series of controls since the virus emerged in northern Italy on Feb. 21, banning public gatherings, forbidding all but essential travel and telling people to stay at home.Schools, restaurants and most shops have been closed but the government has allowed companies to keep operating and has promised tax breaks and other support to...WW…

By , MILAN (Reuters) - Italy’s death toll from coronavirus overtook that of China, where the virus first emerged, on Thursday as hospitals said they were being overwhelmed and the government prepared to prolong emergency lockdown measures.A total 427 deaths were registered in Italy over the past 24 hours, bringing the total nationwide tally to 3,405 since the outbreak surfaced on Feb. 21. China has recorded 3,245 deaths since early January.However, Italy has far fewer confirmed cases - 41,035 as of Thursday against 80,907 in China.Officials and experts believe the total number of infections...…By , MILAN (Reuters) - Italy’s death toll from coronavirus overtook that of China, where the virus first emerged, on Thursday as hospitals said they were being overwhelmed and the government prepared to prolong emergency lockdown measures.A total 427 deaths were registered in Italy over the past 24 hours, bringing the total nationwide tally to 3,405 since the outbreak surfaced on Feb. 21. China has recorded 3,245 deaths since early January.However, Italy has far fewer confirmed cases - 41,035 as of Thursday against 80,907 in China.Officials and experts believe the total number of infections...WW…