
A newly married couple wearing surgical masks shared a kiss to celebrate their special day in Naples - but there was no confetti nor crowds of cheering guests.

Instead, Diego Fernandes , 46 and Deni Salgado, 30, held their wedding ceremony today with only witnesses since public gatherings are banned as part of Italy's lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Afterwards, they were seen stepping out onto an almost deserted street, watched on by a solitary dog walker.

The Coiv-19 death toll in Italy has leapt by 627 in a single day, an increase of 18.4 percent, taking the total to 4,032 - by far the largest daily rise in absolute terms since the virus emerged a month ago.

On Thursday, Italy overtook China as the country to register most deaths from the highly contagious virus.

Until today, Italy had never recorded more than 475 deaths in a single day, while China, where the virus has slowed sharply, has never reported more than 150.

Diego Fernandes , 46 and Deni Salgado, 30, were married in Naples today - but wore protective masks as they kissed as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic

There were no guests at the newlyweds' ceremony, only witnesses, as public gatherings are banned as part of Italy's lockdown measures to curb the spread of Covid-19

The couple stepped out onto the almost deserted streets of Naples. Their celebration comes as Italy's health ministry today approved new measures to limit people's movements in an effort to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe. From Saturday, parks and public gardens will be shut down and people will be allowed to take exercise only around their homes

The government last week ordered restaurants, bars and most shops to shut down nationwide until March 25. In addition, it shut schools and universities and told everyone to stay at home unless absolutely essential until April 3

On Thursday, Italy overtook China as the country to register most deaths from the highly contagious virus

The total number of cases in Italy rose to 47,021 from a previous 41,035, an increase of 14.6%, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The hardest-hit northern region of Lombardy remains in a critical situation, with 2,549 deaths and 22,264 cases.

Of those originally infected nationwide, 5,129 had fully recovered on Friday compared to 4,440 the day before. There were 2,655 people in intensive care against a previous 2,498.

It follows Lombardy sending for the army to enforce its coronavirus lockdown today as 380 more people died in that region alone and doctors in Italy's crisis-hit hospitals described an 'endless stream' of sick patients.

The region in northern Italy has hired 114 soldiers to keep people inside after some Italians defied the country's quarantine rules - hampering its efforts to halt the world's deadliest outbreak.

Italy's coronavirus death toll has leapt by 627 in a single day, an increase of 18.4 percent. It follows the region of Lombardy hiring 114 soldiers - two of whom are pictured in Milan today - to keep people inside

More than 53,000 people have already been issued with summons for violating the rules, with some people going shopping several times a day while others have been exercising together outdoors.

The northern region of Veneto shut parks today and said residents could no longer go for walks, while adjacent Emilia-Romagna banned jogging and bicycle rides, saying people had to stay indoors to prevent infections.

Towns have taken measures such as shutting down public wi-fi and closing down gambling machines in the few shops that remain open in a desperate bid to keep people inside.

'Unfortunately we are not seeing a change of trend in the numbers, which are rising,' Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana told a news conference today as he announced the army would step in.

Italian soldiers installing equipment at the new field hospital in Cremona today, where coronavirus patients can be treated

A shocking Sky News report showed the hectic scenes inside the Papa Giovanni XXII hospital in the crisis-hit area of Bergamo in Lombardy. Patients were given transparent air-tight helmets, which studies have shown help patients needing ventilation breathe easier and boosts survival rates more than traditional face masks

Italy has now overtaken China as the country with the most coronavirus deaths after suffering 427 more fatalities, taking the total number to 3,405

The crisis has overwhelmed Italy's health service, prompting doctors to urge Britain to enter a total lockdown now to prevent a similar crisis engulfing the health service in the UK.

'What I would suggest is just shut down to stop the outbreak,' said Dr Lorenzo Grazioli, who works at the Papa Giovanni XII hospital in hard-hit Bergamo and was previously based in the UK.

Another health worker in Italy - British nurse Connor McAinsh - told ITV News that 'it's just an endless stream of people coming in and as soon as we have a bed, we have a new patient coming in who needs critical care'.

Some patients have been wearing tightly-sealed 'bubble' helmets in intensive care, which help them breathe and have been shown to improve survival chances.

WHAT ARE BUBBLE HELMETS? Italian medics on the coronavirus frontline are using 'bubble helmets' to treat patients needing breathing assistance. The gadgets – a transparent, air-tight helmet – have been shown to help critically ill patients breathe easier and improve their chances of survival. University of Chicago experts tested the gadgets in 2016, and found they 'made a substantial difference' for patients with ARDS. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS, causes fluid to build-up in the lungs, and can lead to death. Patients need ventilation. Italian medics on the coronavirus frontline are using 'bubble helmets' to treat patients needing breathing assistance The Chicago team, who published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, split 83 patients into two groups. Half were given the helmets, while the others had the standard mask, which was strapped onto their face and covered their nose, mouth and chin. After reviewing the data, the scientists said the face masks exposed patients to 'greater risks'. They added that the helmets – which are sealed with a soft air-tight collar that wraps around the patient's neck – has 'several advantages'. One included that it was less likely to leak, meaning doctors could pump more air in. It was also found to be comfier and allowed patients to watch television, talk and read because of its transparency. It is unclear if the NHS regularly uses the helmets – but the British Thoracic Society, whose members include doctors and nurses, says they are a viable alternative to face masks. The gadgets – a transparent, air-tight helmet – have been shown to help critically ill patients breathe easier and improve their chances of survival. A ventilator is a machine that supports breathing by getting oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide from the body. Usually, the ventilator is connected to the patient through a facemask, with a tube that is placed into the mouth or nose and down the windpipe. Advertisement

Meanwhile, the city of Bergamo is sounding the alarm over a high death rate which is not fully explained by official virus cases - suggesting that some patients are dying of Covid-19 without ever being diagnosed.

'We believe the true numbers are hidden,' said Francesco Alleva, spokesman for Bergamo's mayor. 'Because many people are dying at home or in structures for the elderly, and they have never been tested for the virus.'

Last week alone, 400 people died in Bergamo and 12 neighbouring towns - four times the number who died the same week the previous year.

However, according to the Bergamo mayor's office, only 91 of those had tested positive for the virus - suggesting that others also died of the virus.

Nearly 500 beds at Bergamo's main hospital are dedicated to people suffering severe symptoms of the virus, 80 of those in intensive care.

But current arrangements only allow testing only of people who show up at a screening area at the hospital with severe symptoms, missing people who are sick at home.

'We are confronting the biggest Covid emergency after Wuhan,' said Dr Luca Lorini, head of intensive care at the hospital, named for native son Pope John XXIII.

Lorini estimates that the true number of infected in the area is five to ten times the official figure of 4,645.

Police cars have been touring Bergamo with loudspeakers instructing people not to go out except for true necessities, such as work or grocery shopping.

To further discourage people from leaving their homes, Mayor Giorgio Gori this week turned off the public wi-fi and closed down gambling machines in tobacco shops, which remain open and where people can also pay some bills.

However, Lorini said it would take until at least next week to determine if the containment measures were having an impact.

In a Bergamo hospital, some patients have been wearing bubble helmets which help them breathe and are believed to boost survival rates more than traditional face masks.

Respiratory problems are one of the most severe symptoms of the coronavirus.

A new field hospital has also opened in Cremona, consisting of 15 tents and 60 beds, financed by a Christian disaster relief organisation in the US.

Soldiers were today setting up equipment at the new temporary hospital, in scenes reminiscent of China where authorities hurried new hospitals into existence in Wuhan.

Horrifying video footage showed people fitted with the helmet ventilators gasping for air while holding onto their chests and tubes amid a constant bleep of heart monitors and breathing pumps

British nurse describes 'endless stream' of sick patients A British nurse working in Italy has described an 'endless stream' of sick patients at a hospital in Bergamo. Connor McAinsh said the Gavazzeni Hospital had an 'endless amount of people with the same problem and not enough time or material to deal with everybody'. Speaking to ITV News, he said his patients had started to feel like 'numbers' because there were too many to have a 'one to one relationship'. 'I think the whole dynamic has changed because we went from taking care of individual patients with their own problems, to having an endless amount of people with the same problem and not enough time or material to deal with everybody,' he said. It’s just an endless stream of people coming in and as soon as we have a bed, we have a new patient coming in who needs critical care. 'So it’s much less personal, there’s less of a one to one relationship with our patients now, they’ve just become, you know, numbers.' Advertisement

The army is also being called in to enforce the lockdown in Lombardy. Nearly half of Italy's cases - 19,884 - have been recorded in the region.

A request to use the army 'has been accepted... and 114 soldiers will be on the ground throughout Lombardy... it is still too little, but it is positive,' Lombardy regional president Attilio Fontana told a news conference.

Fontana has asked the national government in Rome to close all private and public offices, other than essential ones, as well as construction sites, and to crack down harder on people who continue to flout the quarantine.

'I tried to convince him that we have to take more rigorous measures,' Fontana told La7 television on Thursday, referring to a conversation with prime minister Conte. 'We can't joke around anymore.'

Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna region which is the country's second hardest-hit after Lombardy, banned running and most other open-air activities on Thursday.

'If someone wants to tell me that he can't give up running, I'll take him with me on a tour of the hospital,' Bonaccini wrote on Facebook.

Italy surpassed China as the country with the highest death toll yesterday, when 427 new deaths took the Italian total to 3,405 - higher than China's 3,245.

Italy's unwanted lead is only likely to grow larger, with China beginning to loosen its restrictions while the city of Wuhan had no new cases today or yesterday.

Research by Italy's health service found that some 70 per cent of patients dying from the virus in Italy are men. Men were also more likely to die in China, although scientists are unsure why this is.

A map showing the latest number of cases around Europe, with Italy the worst-affected country by far

An aerial view of the newly operative field hospital in Cremona, with Italy's health service pushed to the limit by the crisis - amid fears that the true toll could be even higher

A worker in one of the tents at the new Cremona field hospital wears a mask as he sets up the facility on Friday morning

Germany could begin lockdown if people fail to stay indoors Germans may face a national lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus if they fail to obey instructions to stay indoors this weekend, officials said today. 'We will look at the behaviour of the population this weekend. Saturday will be a decisive day,' Helge Braun, Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, told Spiegel. Germany has so far stopped short of imposing a full-scale lockdown such as those in France, Italy and Spain. Merkel is expected to meet regional state premiers to discuss a potential lockdown on Sunday, as concern grows that the public are not heeding government calls to stay home in the crisis. 'We hope that the population understands the current measures and is ready to scale down social life. If we look at neighbouring countries, it's clear that (lockdown) would be an enormous extra burden,' said Braun. Yet he warned that more stringent measures could be introduced if citizens continued to meet in public. All bars, clubs, leisure centres and non-essential shops have already been shut. Many states have banned large gatherings and Merkel and other leaders have called on the public to stay at home. Yet many people are continuing to meet in parks and on the streets, with some even organising so-called corona parties, prompting state premiers to warn that lockdown would be the next logical step. 'Unless everybody fundamentally changes their behaviour, then we won't be able to avoid harsher measures and sanctions,' said Winfried Kretschmann, state premier of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. 'If people don't do it themselves, then we could make such decisions,' said Armin Laschet, leader of Germany's most populous state North-Rhine Westphalia, which has been worst hit by the virus so far. Germany's federal system means that the decision to go into lockdown has so far been taken at the state or even the local level. Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg became the first city to impose a general ban on leaving the house on Thursday, and North-Rhine Westphalia's Leverkusen banned meetings of 'two or more people in the open' on Friday. Yet the issue remains divisive, with Berlin mayor Michael Mueller warning on Friday that lockdown was 'not a panacea'. Saarland's state premier Tobias Hans, meanwhile, reiterated that this weekend would be 'decisive' ahead of Sunday's talks, and called for a nationwide solution. If people continued to ignore the current regulations 'then we will need further-reaching measures nationwide,' he told public broadcaster ARD. Advertisement

Italy's 5,322 new cases yesterday was a new record for the country, squashing hopes that the quarantine was beginning to show signs of working.

Italian prime minister Conte has also warned that the lockdown measures may have to be tightened if they are not 'respected'.

Some of Conte's strictest measures - such as the closure of all shops except for grocery stores and pharmacies - had been due to expire next Wednesday.

But the Italian leader said yesterday that an extension of all these precautions was inevitable.

'All the measures we have taken, both the ones that closed a lot of the country's businesses and the ones that restricted people's movement, can only be extended,' Conte said.

Schools are thus unlikely to reopen on April 3 and parents will have to find ways to look after their children while working from home for many more weeks or months.

'At the moment, there are no other far-reaching restrictive measures being considered,' said Conte.

'But if our prohibitions are not respected, we will have to act.'

He added: 'Use your common sense and act with utmost caution. We are not underestimating anything and always acting based on the worst-case scenario.'

It also emerged this week that more than 2,600 medics have been infected by the virus, taking them out of service when they are desperately needed.

At least 13 have died after being infected with coronavirus.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed even in the wealthy north, and there are fears of total collapse if the virus spreads on the same scale in the poorer south.

A shocking Sky News report showed the hectic scenes inside the Papa Giovanni XXII hospital in Bergamo, with staff rushing through wards with beds full of patients in distress.

Horrifying video footage showed people gasping for air while holding onto their chests and tubes amid a constant bleep of heart monitors and breathing pumps, with other patients wearing 'bubble helmets' to help them breathe.

Dr Lorenzo Grazioli, who works at the hospital but was previously based in Leicester, told Sky News's Stuart Ramsay: 'I have never felt so stressed in my life.

'I'm an intensivist, and I am quite used to intense moments, and the choices, and people are critical and die without any treatment, and you [usually] make the difference.

'But when you are at this point you realise that you are not enough. We are 100 anaesthetists, we are doing our best, but maybe it's not enough.'

An agricultural vehicle driven by a volunteer carries out disinfection work in Pontecagnano Faiano in southern Italy yesterday

A patient suffering from coronavirus lies face down on a hospital bed in Cremona yesterday. Studies have found that lying face down like this can improve survival rates

France has 130,000 citizens stranded abroad Some 130,000 French citizens are currently stuck abroad because of measures to contain the coronavirus spread, foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said today. 'The toughest question involves those who were travelling abroad, on trips, mostly on holiday and who number around 130,000 across the planet,' Le Drian told France Info radio. 'Our operating principle is that we want to get these 130,000 back on national territory,' he said, while calling on people to remain calm and be patient. The foreign ministry announced yesterday that it was working to obtain authorisation for exceptional commercial flights out of countries that have imposed travel restrictions to contain the virus outbreak. It has also called on airlines to maintain flights towards France and to lower ticket prices for the emergency returns. The government 'will be particularly vigilant to make sure ticket prices are regulated and capped, so there won't be any speculation in this matter,' Le Drian said. The ministry has set up a website where people can request emergency lodgings from fellow citizens living abroad who have offered to take in stranded travellers. Le Drian's comments came as government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said it was 'quite likely' that France's stay-at-home order would have to be extended into April, beyond the 15 days announced by President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. But despite warnings of additional measures because many people are not strictly following the self-confinement rules, a full curfew 'is not being considered for the time being,' Ndiaye told BFM television. Macron, who said Thursday that too many people are taking the confinement measures 'lightly,' is holding a new crisis management meeting with top officials Friday. Advertisement

In Bergamo, the inability to comfort virus-stricken family members or even attend a funeral has been among the most wrenching aspects of the crisis.

Hospital wards try to help by phoning updates to loved ones and allowing phone calls when patients start to recover.

But when death is near, hospital director Lorini said, a visit would be 'a useless explosion of contagion.'

'It is terrible to lose a loved one and not be able to hug them. But that is what has happened in epidemics for a thousand years, and what will also happen for the next thousand years,' Lorini said.

Once a loved one with the virus dies, family members are not permitted to choose a favorite outfit for burial.

By government decree, the dead are buried in the clothes they died in, wrapped in sterile blankets and placed inside coffins as quickly as possible.

'There is a huge psychological issue for family members who cannot see the body,' said the WHO's Italian adviser Walter Ricciardi said. 'Without a body, it is hard to realize a death occurred.'

The sobering toll hits in full force with just a glance at the local newspaper, L'Eco di Bergamo, which has seen the number of pages dedicated to death notices multiply from one to nine, 10, even 11 pages.

Conte has also made a fresh call for economic backing from Brussels today, urging the EU to use the 'full firepower' of its rescue fund.

Conte called Friday for the European Union to tap the 'full firepower' of its rescue fund to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Conte urged the EU to adapt its European Stability Mechanism (ESM) - the war chest for eurozone countries with serious debt problems - to fight the virus pandemic.

'The ESM was crafted with a different type of crisis in mind, so it must be adapted to the new circumstances so that we can make use of its full firepower,' Conte said.

The Italian premier had yesterday welcomed the ECB's massive €750billion (£680bn) bond-buying stimulus package designed to help virus-wracked economies.

The ECB's emergency scheme will pump cash into the economy by buying additional government and corporate bonds until a least the end of the year.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said separately today that the EU must stand by Italy, otherwise all member states would suffer.

It could not be a case of 'everyone for themselves,' it had to be all working together to get through the crisis, Le Maire added.

Some of the tents at the new field hospital in Cremona, which will have 15 tents when it is fully operational

Paramedics wearing masks and protective suits drive an ambulance out of the Cotugno hospital in Naples yesterday

A medical worker wearing a protective mask and suit treats a patient suffering from the coronavirus disease in Cremona

New cases per day in Italy: The number of daily cases was fairly stagnant at the start of this week, settling down at around 3,500 new patients per day

Italian doctor warns UK to shut down now A doctor at the centre of the Italian crisis has urged the UK to adopt a total lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Dr Lorenzo Grazioli, who works at the Papa Giovanni XII hospital in Bergamo but was previously based in Leicester, said he feared that the efforts of medics were 'not enough' to stem the health crisis. Speaking to Sky News' Stuart Ramsay, he said: 'What I would suggest is just shut down to stop the outbreak and not come into this kind of situation that is very difficult to manage.' Britain has ramped up its containment measures in recent days, but has not yet shut down most shops or placed restrictions on travel as Italy has. He added: 'I have never felt so stressed in my life. 'I'm an intensivist, and I am quite used to intense moments, and the choices, and people are critical and die without any treatment, and you [usually] make the difference. 'But when you are at this point you realise that you are not enough. We are 100 anaesthetists, we are doing our best, but maybe it's not enough.' The medics at Bergamo sent a simple message to Britain and other countries: 'Get ready.' Advertisement

Coffins of the deceased in Bergamo were whisked away on a fleet of army trucks earlier this week after the cemetery Bergamo was overwhelmed by the death toll.

The column of army vehicles brought the dead out of Bergamo on Wednesday night in what Italians have called 'one of the saddest photos in the history of our country'.

The cemetery, like the hospital, in Bergamo can no longer cope with the mounting death toll in the city, where more than 4,300 people have been infected and at least 93 have died.

Mortuaries are full and crematorium staff have been handling 24 bodies a day, including the regular drumbeat of non-virus deaths, meaning the bodies of virus victims have had to be dispatched to neighbouring provinces.

Giacomo Angeloni, the local official in charge of cemeteries in Bergamo, said earlier this week that the crematorium was handling around 24 bodies a day, almost twice its normal maximum.

Local authorities in Bergamo had appealed for help with cremations after being overwhelmed by the death toll.

The pews of the crematorium church have been removed to leave space to lay out scores of coffins but more have been arriving every day.

One Italian who saw the picture of a column of trucks said it was 'one of the saddest photos in the history of our country', while another said it was a 'photo of war'.

'We are Italians and it is at times like these that we bring out the best in us. We will get out of it and we will do it for them too,' one said.

A fleet of army trucks on a highway in Bergamo on Wednesday night, transporting the coffins of coronavirus victims out of the city after the local cemetery became overwhelmed by the virus death toll

Italian army trucks are parked next to a monument in Bergamo on Wednesday as they prepared to take coffins out of the city. At least 93 people have died of coronavirus in Bergamo and more than 4,000 have been infected

Inside Italy's nightmarish coronavirus wards: Terrifying footage shows patients in bubble helmets struggling to breathe as doctors warn their best efforts are 'not enough' after fatalities soared by 427 to 3,405 - HIGHER even than China

Desperate Italian medics at the coronavirus epicentre told how all their efforts 'are not enough' as their country's death toll soared above that of even China.

The number of fatalities there hit 3,405 yesterday, the highest in the world, despite the valiant efforts of shattered doctors to keep the ailing victims of the virus alive.

A shocking Sky News report showed the hectic scenes inside the Papa Giovanni XXII hospital in the crisis-hit area of Bergamo in Lombardy, with staff rushing through wards with beds full of patients in distress.

Horrifying video footage showed people gasping for air while holding onto their chests and tubes amid a constant bleep of heart monitors and breathing pumps, with other patients wearing 'bubble helmets' to help them breathe.

Dr Lorenzo Grazioli, who works at the hospital but was previously based in Leicester, told Sky News's Stuart Ramsay: 'I have never felt so stressed in my life.

'I'm an intensivist, and I am quite used to intense moments, and the choices, and people are critical and die without any treatment, and you [usually] make the difference.

'But when you are at this point you realise that you are not enough. We are 100 anaesthetists, we are doing our best, but maybe it's not enough.'

A shocking Sky News report showed the hectic scenes inside the Papa Giovanni XXII hospital in the crisis-hit area of Bergamo in Lombardy. Patients were given transparent air-tight helmets, which studies have shown help patients needing ventilation breathe easier and boosts survival rates more than traditional face masks

Horrifying video footage showed people fitted with the helmet ventilators gasping for air while holding onto their chests and tubes amid a constant bleep of heart monitors and breathing pumps

Three patients in this photo are wearing the tall bubble helmets, which have been found to 'make a substantial difference' to patients suffering from severe respiratory problems

Medics in protective suits speak to a patient wearing one of the bubble masks, at a hospital in Bergamo where one doctor has urged the UK to go into total lockdown

Both the death toll and number of confirmed cases shot up again today and the nation has now recorded 41,035 infections, more than half of the world's positive cases. Pictured: Medical personnel at work in the intensive care unit of the hospital of Brescia, Italy

Footage showed the Italian medics using 'bubble helmets' to treat patients needing breathing assistance.

The gadgets – a transparent, air-tight helmet – have been shown to help critically ill patients breathe easier and improve their chances of survival.

A ventilator is a machine that supports breathing by getting oxygen into the lungs and removing carbon dioxide from the body.

Usually, the ventilator is connected to the patient through a facemask, with a tube that is placed into the mouth or nose and down the windpipe.

Grazioli, the doctor who spoke to Sky News, has also urged the UK to adopt a total lockdown.

'What I would suggest is just shut down to stop the outbreak and not come into this kind of situation that is very difficult to manage,' he said.

The medics at Bergamo sent a simple message to Britain and other countries: 'Get ready.'

In separate footage taken at the San Marco di Zingonia hospital in Bergamo, patients are seen lying on beds which are crammed into the corridor of the intensive care unit.

The video shows patients on ventilators in overcrowded rooms, showing how the crisis has overwhelmed even the high-quality health service in northern Italy.

Italian media says the hospital is handling a large number of urgent Covid-19 cases, and many patients are said to have serious breathing problems.

The latest figures have squashed hopes that the unprecedented national lockdown was helping to slow the spread of the pathogen. Pictured: Intensive care unit of the hospital of Brescia, Italy