Roundup: Italy enforces masks outdoors as Dutch demand more of antiviral drug

(Update: adds Spain economic figures, Netherlands infections)

Madrid Desk, Oct 6 (efe-epa).- Italian authorities on Tuesday extended a state of emergency and widened measures to fight Covid-19, including wearing masks outdoors at all times, as daily infection rates in Germany remained at over 2,600 cases.

Hospitals in the Netherlands, meanwhile, have complained of a lack of antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat the virus and Spain’s economy has been hit.

ITALY

Masks will be compulsory in public at all times in Italy and the country’s state of emergency will be extended until January amid rising infection rates.

Officials said residents will have to wear face coverings indoors and outdoors in public spaces, while measures to limit crowds of people were introduced after a spike in contagion in recent weeks, with daily cases at around 2,600, well below the rates of other neighboring countries such as France or Spain.

According to the most recent data, Italy reported 2,257 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of cases to 327,586 since the pandemic began in February.

Health minister Roberto Speranza said: “Italy, along with Germany, is better than other European countries and is responding better to the second wave” but warned that “we must not have illusions”.

“The battle is not won,” prime minister Giuseppe Conte said. “The threshold of care should remain at the maximum even in the coming weeks and months.”

NETHERLANDS