Italy hits record deaths, adds Christmas curbs
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announcing tough new COVID restrictions for Christmas and the New Year, as the country posted its highest daily death toll from the pandemic yet -- almost a thousand people.
Conte's government is banning midnight mass and movement between regions -- unless it's for work, medical reasons or emergencies -- from December 21 to January 6.
On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years day, Italian's can't leave their towns.
Italy was the first Western nation to be battered by the virus, and more than 58,000 people have died there since the outbreak - Europe's second highest count after Britain.
An increase in new infections and hospital admissions has slowed in recent weeks, but Italy is still reporting more daily COVID-19 fatalities than any other European nation.
Italy posted 993 deaths on Thursday.
Its previous high was 919 in late March, at the peak of the first wave.
In a televised evening news conference, Conte said current curbs which are staggered around the country according to local infection rates were producing good results, but the Christmas holidays threatened to cause a new spike in cases.
He urged Italians not to invite guests from outside the family to their homes over Christmas.
Italy's regions hit out at the government over the latest restrictions, saying they were not consulted over measures that were too hard on families and did not compensate hard-hit businesses.
Italy has also closed ski resorts over Christmas and imposed 14 days quarantine for anyone entering Italy over the holidays.
