Italy has tightened its nationwide lockdown further in response to the rising death toll from coronavirus, ordering all non-essential shops and services to close.

Announcing the measures on Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said supermarkets and pharmacies will be the only retailers to remain open in Italy.
The latest restrictions come as the virus death toll surged over 30% to more than 1000 — the biggest daily jump since the start of the outbreak. Italy is already under a national lockdown restricting citizens’ movement and activities.
Conte said it was time to “go one step further” as he announced the closure of most commercial and retail activities with bars, restaurants among those ordered to shut.

Public services remain in place and industrial production is allowed to continue, on condition that companies adopt safety measures to protect workers.

Conte had already announced earlier on Wednesday that the government will set aside even more money to tackle the outbreak, raising spending to 25 billion euros — up from 7.5 billion euros announced last week.