Italy increased its emergency economic measures and suspended mortgage payments to mitigate the consequences of imposing nationwide quarantine restrictions as Europe battles to contain the largest outbreak of the novel coronavirus outside China.
Rome’s move is designed to help businesses and families weather a decision late on Monday to ban all “non-essential” travel and public gatherings across Italy until the start of April. Other restrictions include the closures of tourist attractions in efforts to slow down the spreading of the epidemic and reduce the strain on the country’s hospitals.
The Italian government on Tuesday said it would inject €10bn into the economy, from €7.5bn a day before, and announced a moratorium on debt payments such as mortgages during the outbreak. The country recorded a total of 10,149 infections on Tuesday, up from 9,171 the day before and 7,000 on Sunday. The death toll has risen to 631, from 463 on Monday, while 1,004 patients have now recovered.