Italy’s tally of new virus cases down to 239

The number of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Italy nudged lower to 239 in the last 24 hours, while all eight deaths were recorded in Lombardy, the epicentre of the country’s epidemic.

That brings the total number of cases in Italy to 248,070 and deaths to 35,154, according to Health Ministry figures released Sunday.

New cases were distributed in every region, with none at zero, and Emilia-Romagna, which has had several outbreaks, counting the most at 49.

The number of daily cases in Italy has hovered between 200-300 for weeks, mostly related to people arriving from outside of Italy, either foreign workers or migrants.

Italians have been filling beaches, particularly on the weekends, as the country enters the traditional holiday month of August.

A beach establishment in Sabaudia, south of Rome, was closed after a lifeguard tested positive. And Italian high-speed railway operators were forced to reverse plans to loosen distancing rules on trains after Health Minister Roberto Speranza passed an ordinance blocking a move by the transport ministry to allow all seats to be occupied.