Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government has prepared Italians for a "very long" lockdown that would only be lifted gradually despite its economic hardship and traumatic impact on daily lives.
The message from ministers and health officials last night came as Italy's world-topping death toll rose by 756 - well below Friday's record of 969 - and the rate of coronavirus infections slowed to under 6% for the first time.
Yet the government appeared more focused on the nearing 3 April deadline to lift a national lockdown that had never been tried by a Western democracy - and has since been replicated across Europe and the United States. "The measures expiring on 3 April will inevitably be extended," Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia