Reuters cited figures from the Italian Civil Defense Agency, which said on March 29, it recorded 756 more deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths from the disease here to 10,779. This is the second consecutive day that the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Italy decreased compared to a record 919 deaths on March 27 and 889 on March 28.

Italy is currently the country with the most deaths from Covid-19, accounting for more than a third of all deaths from this epidemic in the world.

Also yesterday, Italy recorded more than 5,200 cases, bringing the total number of infected people to 97,689 cases, the second most in the world after the US. Italian health officials said that the actual number may be higher than the published data because currently only people with serious symptoms can be tested, while "thousands of people are still at home waiting for testing".

In the hope of further slowing the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, Italian officials are expected to extend the nationwide blockade orders after they expire on April 3. According to local media, the blockade order could last for another 2 weeks until about April 18. Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza also urged people not to ignore the implementation of the blockade, saying that this would make Italy’s efforts to stop the epidemic for more than a month "pouring into rivers and sea."

Experts have pointed out a number of reasons why the number of infected people increased sharply and the death rate in Italy is the highest in the world. In addition to the aging population factor, experts also pointed out the effectiveness of blockade orders in Italy.

While Italian authorities believe that the blockade orders helped slow the spread of Covid-19, the fact that they were not effective. In China, a blockade of the Wuhan epidemic of 11 million people includes a ban on all flights, trains, and buses, blocking highways. The blockade has shown a positive effect in preventing the spread. Meanwhile, Giorgio Palu, former president of the Italian Virus Research Institute at the University of Padova, said that the blockade orders in Italy were not as strict as those in China.