COVID-19 batters Italy as lockdown deadline nears

Via Veneto is seen empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Rome, Italy, on March 29, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to claim victims in Italy as the deadline for the end of the government's national lockdown drew closer and experts warned it is too soon to lift restrictions. The death toll was 889 on Saturday, pushing the total to 10,023 fatalities since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)