Italy reports lowest daily virus fatalities since March 19

Italy reported the lowest singleday coronavirus deaths in two and a half weeks, even as the northern Lombardy region around Milan announced tougher containment measures for the weeks ahead.

Fatalities fell on Sunday to 525, the lowest since March 19, bringing the total since the beginning of the outbreak in Italy to 15,887. New confirmed cases totalled 4,316, compared with 4,805 the day before. Italy now has 128,948 cases.

Spain on Sunday saw a third straight decline in new deaths from the virus, raising hopes the worst of its outbreak may be over. U.K. virus death figures also showed a decline, even as the government warned it may consider tighter measures.

Hard-hit Lombardy over the weekend moved to require that citizens leaving their homes shield their mouths and noses with masks or other coverings and insisted residents remain inside for all but essential activities, after seeing a spike in people venturing outside in defiance of the quarantine. The Tuscany region followed suit with similar rules.

As the country prepares for a fifth week of lockdown measures, opposition leader Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League called on the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to open churches for the coming Easter holiday.

Measures to keep the country shut down have been extended through at least April 13, and Conte is expected to announce revised rules and time lines by the end of next week, daily Il Messaggero reported.

Conte said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he can’t yet say when Italy’s lockdown will end.