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Italy PM Mario Draghi tests positive for Covid-19
The Xinhua reported, the Italian government said in a statement on Monday (Apr 18) that the country's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the statement, the Xinhua said that Draghi, 74, who is fully vaccinated, "is asymptomatic."
His schedule has been curtailed, including a planned trip to Angola and the Republic of the Congo scheduled for April 20-21. The statement said Draghi will be replaced by Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani for the trip.
Draghi's positive test comes as coronavirus infection rates in Italy are on the rise compared to recent lows from early March, though mortality and hospitalization rates remain low. The most recent data, from Sunday, showed nearly 52,000 new infections nationally, the sixth consecutive day with more than 50,000 new cases.
On April 1, Italy emerged from its two-year state of emergency -- which it had been in since January 31, 2020, the CNN Travel reported.
Italy will end Covid-19 state of emergency on March 31
However, this is still one of the most cautious countries in Europe, with restrictions still on the ground. Case numbers are being continuously monitored, and regions are following a traffic light-style system with varying restrictions dependent on hospital capacity and infection rates, it added.
