COVID-19 here to stay? Italian govt wants to extend 'state of emergency' measures till January 2022

Italy's health minister says the government is examining a proposal to make masks mandatory outdoors as the country enters a difficult phase of living alongside COVID-19, with the number of infections growing steadily for the last nine weeks. Roberto Speranza told the lower house of parliament on Tuesday that as infections spread, it is necessary to return to restrictions that were gradually loosened over the spring and summer months after Italy's strict nearly three-month lockdown. ''We must raise our guard with the awareness that our county is better off than others,'' Speranza said.