Italy has reported 24,991 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

It registered 205 coronavirus-related deaths. A total of 37,905 people have died in Italy.

The northern region of Lombardy, which remains by far the worst-impacted, reported 7,558 new cases on Wednesday compared with 5,035 the day before.

The total number of cases in the country crossed 589,000.

The government this week imposed new restrictions on the country. Bars and restaurants are closed. The government shut down gyms, cinemas and theatres.