12:19

Here is the latest update on coronavirus in Italy, from my colleague Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo, who has been at the government’s press briefing.

Italy registered 619 more deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday – 49 more than Friday. In total, 18,849 people have now died with the coronavirus here.

The Civil Protection said 100.269 are currently infected with a daily increase of 1996 cases - 11 more than yesterday (+1,4%).

Some 2.079 have recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 32.534.

The Civil Protection said the overall total of cases in Italy, including the deceased, the currently infected and those who have recovered, is now 152.271, up 4,694 on Saturday (+3,2% compared to Friday).

On Friday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the third extension of Italy’s lockdown until 3 May, as the country is struggling to pull its economy through the coronavirus crisis.



On Thursday, a messy compromise to unlock €500bn (£438bn) of EU support for countries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic has been struck after Conte warned that the existence of the bloc was at stake.

Italy’s PM said described the compromise reached by the Eurogroup as “a step forward, but not sufficient”.

Conte said his government had not given up on its drive for the European Union to issue Eurobonds to finance a common response to the economic crisis caused by outbreak.

The Italian interior ministry issued a warning, on Saturday, about the risk that extremist groups may take advantage of the coronavirus emergency to carry out acts of revolt in the country.

In a directive sent to the prefects, the interior minister, Luciana Lamorgese, asked the police to intensify the checks, due to “serious tensions’’ and the risk of ‘’riots by groups of extremists’’.

Since the beginning of the crisis, numerous warnings have been issued by the authorities concerning the risk that criminal groups could take advantage of the crisis.