The Italian national lockdown will now extend past April 3rd Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte confirmed in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Corriere della.

COVID-19 claimed the lives of 475 people yesterday alone, the severist loss on record for Italy, which has seen almost 3,000 lose their lives.

“The measures that we have taken, which saw the closure of most of the companies in the country and all schools, will continue past the previously stated end,” Prime Minsister Conte told the Italian newspaper.

“We have avoided a system collapse and the measures are working,” he added, “But it is clear that when we reach a peak and the contagions begin to decrease, at least in percentage wise in a few days, we will not be able to return immediately to the lives we had before.”

Speaking of the mass death toll yesterday he said, “it is clear that the measures we have adopted…..will have to be extended.”

He added that defying the sanctions will have repercussions

Leaders in Spain are also considering an extension of the nationwide lockdown.

Minister Jose Luis Abalos said earlier this week “we will see with what measures, but in 15 days I do not think we will be capable of winning this battle.”

As of this morning, there are 14,769 confirmed cases in Spain. The dedath toll hjas reached 638, while 1,081 have recovered.