PM QUESTIONED OVER COVID-19 RESPONSE

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was questioned for three hours by prosecutors from Bergamo, one of the northern cities hit hardest by the pandemic, over why small towns around the city were not locked down earlier, when infections were rising fast.

The region of Lombardy, which includes Bergamo, was the original epicentre of Italy’s virus outbreak and has remained by far the worst hit of its 20 regions. The central government and Lombardy’s regional authorities have each said the other was responsible for the decision not to isolate. Relatives of those who died in Bergamo have asked prosecutors to investigate possible criminal responsibility in allowing contagion to run riot.