Italy extends its full lockdown till May 3

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced that the nation-wide lockdown will continue till at least May 3, with some minor concessions.

In a televised address, Conte announced the extension and took questions from the journalists online, as reported by Xinhua on Saturday.

There are some minor concessions that were not allowed in the initial lockdown announced on March 10. The extended lockdown includes re-opening of stores that sell goods for children and stores that sell stationery and books, beginning April 14.

Conte hopes that the lockdown extended till May 3 would be the last full extension that is keeping all people of Italy in their homes.

"Our hope is that after May 3 we can gradually start again, with caution, gradually," Conte said. "But this will depend on the efforts we make between now and then," he added.

"We are determined to loosen the measures for economic activity as soon as possible. But we are not yet in a position to do so," he added.

Conte also cautioned against Italians letting down their guard.

"We cannot risk nullifying the efforts and sacrifices we have made so far," Conte said. "If we give in to temptation (to ignore quarantine rules) we risk having to start over from the start."

Italy remains one of the countries hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 19,000 deaths and nearly 150,000 infections.