ROME, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Four more people have died in Italy from coronavirus, the civil protection agency said on Friday, bringing the total to 21, while the number of those testing positive for the illness jumped to 821 from 650 the day before.

The outbreak which began last week in Italy's northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto have made the country the hardest-hit in Europe and have led to draconian measures and a sharp reduction in economic activity.

Lombardy will ask the government to maintain for at least another week the containment measures already implemented against the outbreak, the regional government said on Friday. (Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni, writing by Gavin Jones)