Italy reports 26 new deaths from coronavirus

ROME

Italy on Monday reported 26 more coronavirus-related fatalities -- the lowest daily rise since March 2 -- bringing the country's death toll to 34,371.

The slowing trend in deaths registered in May has continued until mid-June, showing that the worst of the pandemic has been left behind.

But health and political authorities continue to stress that Italian citizens should not let the guard down, as they fear a possible new wave of contagions.

The tally of active infections again fell on Monday, with a decline of 365 that brought the total to 25,909.

Meanwhile, recoveries continued to climb, surging to 177,010 as more patients left intensive care, lifting pressure on Italy's strained healthcare system.

The northern Lombardy region remains the worst-hit nationally. The number of fatalities in the region rose to 16,457 -- almost half the nationwide tally -- while 259 new cases were reported over the last 24 hours.

On Monday, as part of his ongoing economic summit at Rome’s Villa Pamphili, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met union representatives.

Conte promised to provide struggling companies with four more weeks of redundancy funds, starting immediately. The measure, which will be approved later Monday, is part of a package aimed at helping workers who lost their jobs due to the lockdown.

However, the head of Italy’s business lobby Confindustria Carlo Bonomi attacked the government again for the lack of concrete plans to revive the Italian economy, facing the worst recession since World War II.

"I expected that the government would have presented a detailed plan, with a precise timetable,” Bonomi said on Monday. “I didn't see this plan. I'd be curious to read it.”