Italy reports lowest daily death toll since first day of lockdown

The Italian government announced that confirmed coronavirus deaths in the country increased by 174 on Sunday, well below the 474 jump it reported on Saturday.

Why it matters: It's the smallest daily increase in fatalities the country has seen since March 9, when the Italian government extended lockdown restrictions from northern Italy to the entire country.

• With new cases also declining on Sunday from 1,900 to 1,389, the data suggests that the outbreak is continuing on a downward trend one day before Italy's government begins to ease its almost eight-week lockdown.
• Manufacturing and construction are set to start back on May 4, followed by shops on May 14. Bars, restaurants, cafes and other nonessential businesses will not open until at least June 1, and broad social distancing measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Yes, but: In past weeks, the daily death count tended to fall Sundays and rise again the following day, according to NBC News.

The big picture: Total deaths from Italy's coronavirus outbreak stands at 28,884, and at least 210,717 people have tested positive for the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

• At least 81,654 people in Italy have recovered from the virus.

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