Italy crosses 10,000 virus deaths

Italy on Saturday announced the number of deaths caused by the new coronavirus has exceeded 10,000 people.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte made the announcement Saturday evening, where he also confirmed that mayors will soon be able to issue vouchers for food shopping to help low income people to cope with the economic consequences of the new virus pandemic.

Due to the lockdown to contain the infection and the shutdown of non-essential factories and businesses, many Italian citizens have seen a sharp decrease in their incomes.

With an initial 400 million euro fund, and with an advance payment of 4.3 billion euro, the central government wants to help the poorest segments of Italian society.

Local municipalities will have to use this fund to buy food, medicines and other essential goods for citizens with lower incomes.

Italy's PM is hoping the European Union will put together a cohesive response to the plight of countries like his, whose economy has been crippled by the coronavirus outbreak.

In the statement, Conte also said schools may reopen on 3 April, depending on how the efforts to combat the virus are progressing.

Italy has a total of 10,023 deaths from the new virus, with 92,472 people infected.

Germany and the Netherlands are leading other EU nations in resisting calls for an issuance of joint European debt.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.