Italians must now wear masks outside as emergency extended till Jan 31

Italians must now wear masks when outdoors as case numbers surge across the country.

In addition, everyone has to wear masks everywhere indoors, except in their own homes.

This beefed up rule was already in force in parts of the country but from now on is nationwide.

Although Covid-19 cases are much lower in Italy than in many other European countries, the nation is seeing a steady rise in infections which some are describing as a second wave.

In the last 24 hours, registered infections have surged past 3,000 for the first time since April, reaching 3,678 new cases, data from the health ministry shows

The number of cases is still far below numbers seen in some other European countries such as France, Spain and Britain. Due to this, the government has also announced compulsory testing for everyone arriving from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic

The Cabinet also approved a decree to extend the Covid-19 state of emergency until Jan 31, a Cabinet source told Reuters.

Italy was one of the first countries in Europe to be hit with the virus and for a while became infamous as the epicentre of infections in Europe.