#Italy sees highest daily coronavirus infections since May

Coronavirus cases surged by 845 yesterday — the largest rise in new cases in the Mediterranean holiday hotspot since May.

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Italy has risen sharply over the past two weeks.

Authorities began introducing coronavirus testing at airports on Sunday after cases rose from 200 to 300 a day to 600 within a week.

If people cannot provide a negative result, they will have to self-isolate when they return home.

The latest daily figures rose by 200 since Wednesday’s figure of 642 cases.

Professor Massimo Galli, who heads the infectious diseases department at Milan’s Sacco hospital, told the La Repubblica newspaper: “We are not in as bad a position as France and Spain, but the current situation is not satisfactory.

“The end of confinement has resulted in an excessive feeling of false security.

“We have to be careful, otherwise we will find ourselves facing an extremely difficult situation.”




‘Italy is at a crossroads’

Walter Ricciardi, a senior adviser to the Italian health ministry on the coronavirus outbreak, told the Guardian: “Italy is at a crossroads right now.

“If we do not apply containment measures and the numbers continue to rise, localized lockdowns will be required.”

The highest daily infection counts were about 6,500 cases a day recorded in late March.

A large number of clusters in recent weeks have been connected to young Italians returning from the country’s beach resorts as well as from Greece, Spain, Malta and Croatia, authorities said.

On Friday, the government introduced mandatory testing on all arrivals from these four countries.

Meanwhile, neighboring France’s fear of a second COVID-19 wave grew today and it reported more than 4,771 fresh infections, a huge increase from Wednesday’s 3,776.

There have also been worrying spikes in Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia — much of it blamed on holidaying Europeans and youngsters enjoying parties in the summer heatwave.

Britons were scrambling to return home from Croatia and Austria last night after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps declared that anyone arriving from the countries must self-isolate for 14 days.

British Airways economy flights from Zagreb to London are up at $360 today compared to $107 on Monday.

About 20,000 British tourists are thought to be in Croatia.