President Mattarella warns EU to act before it was too late as Italy registers record number of deaths
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In a rare, televised address to the nation, Italian President Sergio Mattarella warned that the European Union had to react before it was too late and should adopt new measures to confront the threat posed by the coronavirus,
“New initiatives are vital, overcoming old ways of thinking that are now out of touch with the reality of the dramatic conditions facing our continent,” Mattarella said on Friday.
“I hope everyone fully understands, before it is too late, the seriousness of the threat faced by Europe.”
Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, during the speech to the Nation about the COVID-19 Coronavirus emergency, at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, Italy, 27 March 2020. EPA-EFE/QUIRINALE PALACE PRESS OFFICE
His speech came as a bit earlier, the Italian civil protection agency said Friday that 9,134 people have died with the coronavirus in Italy, 969 up on the number given on Thursday.
It is the highest daily rise in deaths anywhere in the world since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, although around 50 of the deaths were cases carried over after not being included in Thursday’s data.
The previous daily high was the 793 deaths reported in Italy on Saturday. The department said 66,414 people are currently infected with the coronavirus in Italy, 4,401 up on Thursday. That compared to Thursday’s daily rise of 4,492.
It said 10,950 people have now recovered from the coronavirus in Italy, up 589 in 24 hours. On Thursday the daily rise was 999.
The overall number of people to have been infected in Italy, including the deceased and the recovered, is now 86,498.
That means Italy has overtaken China, which is steady on 81,897 cases.
Italy has also overtaken the USA’s 86,102 infections, John Hopkins University said Friday.
