The nationwide lockdown in Italy has been extended through May 3 but Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora is urging the country's sports federations to develop health protocols to resume activity on May 4. Spadafora urges sports authorities "not to let these weeks be lost'' and to urgently make plans for when the lockdown expires. Previously, the lockdown was set to expire on Monday. The extension came as the number of people in Italian hospitals and intensive care wards eases and the growth in the number of new cases and deaths is narrowing. Italy has suffered the most deaths of any nation, nearly 19,000, and is nearing 150,000 cases, hitting 147,577 on Friday.-AP

Source: The Standard April 11, 2020 04:07 UTC