Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte did not rule out that the country is likely to extend the state of emergency after July 31, CNBC reported referring to Reuters.

The prospect of extending the state of emergency means that Italy will continue to take the necessary measures to fight COVID-19 pandemic, Conte noted.

In late January, the eurozone’s third-largest economy introduced a six-month state of emergency, allowing the government to respond quickly to the outbreak.

To date, over 240,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Italy. The death toll has reached 34,926.