The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has jumped by 168 to 631, an increase of 36 per cent, the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday.
This is the largest rise in absolute numbers since the illness came to light on February 21.
Italy's total number of cases rose to 10,149 from a previous 9,172, an increase of 10.7 per cent.
The head of the agency said that, of those originally infected, 1,004 had fully recovered compared to 724 the day before. Some 877 people were in intensive care against a previous 733.
It came after the governor of Italy’s Lombardy region has said he will ask the Italian government to impose tighter virus-control measures after fresh data showed the new Covid-19 continues to spread in his northern region.
Regional governor Atilio Fontana told private TV channel La7 on Tuesday that the mayors of 12 provincial capitals agreed to request orders that would close non-essential stores and shut down local public transportation.
Mr Fontana said the requested measures would not impact grocery stores and other activities deemed essential for the public good.
He said mandatory closures that could cause “damage to the collectivity or the economy″ also will not be imposed.
Mr Fontana added that stricter measures to limit travel and public events “are justified by the fact that on the one hand, contagion is growing, and by the fact that the (original) red zone where they observed the most rigid measures, the trend is reversing”.
