ROME
Italy reported a drop in daily deaths from coronavirus on Friday, but the death toll remained worryingly high despite a slowdown in the contagion curve.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, daily deaths stood at 761, up from 887 the day before, bringing the death toll nationwide to 63,387, which remains the highest in Europe after the United Kingdom. .
While the daily figure is below the peak of nearly 1,000 deaths seen on Dec. 3, experts noted that these numbers tend to decline very slowly.
Italy also reported 18,727 cases, up from 16,999 on Thursday, with a higher number of swab tests performed.
The new figures confirm the trend observed over the past three weeks, which shows that the contagion curve is flattening, but at a very slow pace.
The infection rate remained stable below 10%, substantially lower than the 18% peak seen in October, when infections rose after a relatively calmer summer.
Struggling to contain the second wave, authorities have taken strict measures for the Christmas season in hopes of preventing a third wave of infections early next year.
The new restrictions include a near-total ban on domestic and international travel from December 21 to January 6, with the aim of preventing the virus from spreading across the country and limiting large gatherings.
The stricter rules have sparked protests from the public and regional authorities as they will keep families apart during the traditional Christmas holidays.
Following the complaints, the government agreed to introduce some exceptions to the new measures, allowing people to move between nearby cities and towns during major holidays.
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