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Italy has recorded 21,994 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, the highest daily count since the start of the country’s outbreak and above the previous record of 21,273 on Sunday.
The country’s Health Ministry also reported 221 Covid-related deaths, the first time Italy has recorded more than 200 deaths in a single day since mid-May.
A total of 37,700 people have died in Italy as a result of the coronavirus, while 564,778 cases of the disease have been recorded to date.
The northern region of Lombardy, centered on Milan, Italy’s financial capital, remained the worst affected area, with 5,035 new cases today.
The southern region of Campania was the second most affected, with 2,761 cases.
The country faces growing discontent and protests over its virus restrictions.
Thousands of people protested yesterday in Italian cities over the mandatory early closure of restaurants and other businesses, and more are planned in the coming days.
Some demonstrations turned violent when angry youths threw petrol bombs and stones at police cars and smashed shop fronts, with Turin and Milan hit hardest.
The clashes were “a black page” in Turin’s history, said local police chief Giuseppe De Matteis, “which cannot be attributed to social unrest but … to the orchestration of individuals dedicated to crime.”
Italian politicians struggled to cope with the wave of frustration: the violent protests that marked a significant escalation in opposition to their handling of the crisis.
The protests have generally been silenced, sometimes driven by particular industries like taxi drivers or restaurateurs.
“As we draft the restrictions, we are also working to bring resources to the people who will be most affected,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wrote on Twitter as he prepared to announce a multi-million dollar aid package that will likely include tax credits and funding to cover ten more weeks of leave.
Violence is likely to reverberate in Europe, where governments are weighing the need for tougher measures against the fatigue and frustration felt by many.
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