Italy reported more than 1,000 daily coronavirus infections on Saturday for the first time since it reduced a strict national lockdown in May as citizens return from summer holidays.
Once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, Italy has for the most part restricted the spread of the disease since early May.
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However, the country’s health ministry said nightlife and holidaymakers returning from resorts abroad in the Mediterranean and the Italian island of Sardinia had contributed to a gradual increase in confirmed cases in the past month.
Confirmed cases increased from 947 on Friday to 1,071 on Saturday, just weeks after the nation saw the number of day-to-day new infections reach about 200.
Passengers on a flight from Valencia, Spain, are waiting to be tested for COVID-19 after arriving at Ciampino airport in Rome on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. The Italian Minister of Health has issued an order requiring the tests for all travelers coming to Croatia from Italy, Greece, Malta or Spain. (AP photo / Riccardo De Luca)
Many infections were confirmed in travelers who were tested when leaving planes or ferries.
Authorities in Lazio, the south-central region including Rome, say 45 percent of its 215 new cases Saturday were from people returning from Sardinia, where several clusters are linked to discos as well as private parties throughout the Emerald Coast resort area.
Migrants made 16 of Sicily’s 48 confirmed infections.
The last time Italy saw more than 1,000 cases was on May 12, when 1,402 cases were reported, according to Reuters. Six days later, the country lifted some restrictions from its 10-week lockdown and allowed restaurants, bars and shops to reopen.
The daily death toll has remained low, with deaths often reported in the single digits, even as infections rise, the outlet reported.
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Three new deaths on Saturday brought the total deaths to at least 35,400. The nation has more than 259,000 confirmed cases.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
