THE WORLD CONTINUES TO BATTLE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC THAT HAS KILLED MORE THAN 18 THOUSAND PEOPLE WORLD-WIDE AND INFECTED OVER 4 LAKH PEOPLE. ITALY IS THE WORST HIT IN THE WORLD AFTER CHINA, WHICH WAS EARLIER THE EPICENTRE OF THE OUTBREAK BUT IS NOW LIMPING BACK TO NORMALCY. ITALY REPORTED ITS SECOND-DEADLIEST DAY OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, DASHING HOPES THE DEATH TOLL IS DECLINING IN A COUNTRY WHERE HOSPITALS ARE FLOODED WITH PATIENTS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS STRUGGLING TO BRING THE CRISIS UNDER CONTROL. DEATHS ON TUESDAY ROSE AGAIN TO 743, AFTER FALLING IN EACH OF THE LAST TWO DAYS. CONFIRMED CASES IN THE COUNTRY NOW TOTAL 69,176. GIVING SOME HOPE TO THE COUNTRY, THE LATEST DATA SHOWED ACTIVE CASES ROSE THE LEAST IN NEARLY A WEEK -- A POSSIBLE EARLY INDICATION THAT THE SEVERE RESTRICTION OF MOVEMENT IN THE COUNTRY IS SLOWING THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
