Italy recorded almost 33,000 new infections in the last 24 hours to reach 1,028,424 in total since the pandemic began, according to health ministry figures. Deaths are also rising fast, with another 623 reported, taking the total to 42,953. Italy was the first in Europe to be hit by the outbreak earlier this year, sparking an unprecedented national lockdown that curbed infection rates but devastated the economy.

After a lull over the summer, cases have been on the rise again in recent weeks, in step with much of the continent. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's government last week brought in a nationwide overnight curfew and early closing for bars and restaurants, shutting them altogether and further restricting residents' movements in regions where the infection rates are highest.