The Italian government moved to make masks mandatory between 18:00 and 6:00 in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus after recording more than 600 cases in a single day.
The country, which was the first in Europe to institute a lockdown, also closed nightclubs amid the uptick in cases.
Vacationers in Rome coming from Croatia, Greece, Malta or Spain are also now tested for coronavirus upon arrival in the country.
The new restrictions comes as European countries have seen a concerning resurgence in cases.
France recorded more than 3,300 new cases in 24 hours, the highest number reported since May.
The French government announced plans to increase social distancing measures in workplaces, including encouraging people to wear masks in the office and if possible, work from home.
It comes as Paris and Marseille, the largest two cities in the country both were classified as areas with an “active circulation of the virus”.
Pressure is mounting on the French government to extend its mask mandate, which currently only applies to closed indoor spaces, although many cities now require them in open markets and crowded areas.
Labour minister Elisabeth Borne said in the Journal du dimanche that the country must avoid a new lockdown.
Spain, meanwhile, closed nightclubs as its incidence rate of COVID-19 rose per 100,000 people.
There has been an average of 115 cases per 100,000 people in Spain over the past two weeks, according to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
WHO reports record daily number of global cases
There were more than 294,000 new cases of COVID-19 recorded globally on Saturday, according to World Health Organization figures.
The record number of cases reflects more than 160,000 in the Americas and nearly 30,000 in Europe amid a resurgence in several countries.
Globally, there have been more than 21 million confirmed cases so far of the virus that has killed more than 770,000 people.
The most heavily impacted countries remain the United States, Brazil and India.
New outbreaks in countries praised for virus response
South Korea reported 279 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, the country’s highest increase in in confirmed cases since March 8.
Most of the cases were located in Seoul where officials have been working to stem transmission linked to churches, nursing homes, schools, restaurants and door-to-door salespeople.
New Zealand, also viewed worldwide as a success story in controlling the coronavirus, is fighting a new outbreak in Auckland after going 102 days without a coronavirus case.
The outbreak has risen to 49 cases that appear to be traced to the one cluster.
euronews.com
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