Around 400 new cases were reported late on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people in Italy confirmed to have contracted the virus to 2502.

Of these, 160 have recovered and 79 have died, leaving Italy with 2263 active cases, according to official figures from the Italian Health Ministry and the civil protection agency.

Italian authorities have tested more than 25,800 people for the virus, with around 10 per cent of tests coming back positive.

Around 1000 people found to be infected have only mild symptoms and are in self-isolation at home.

Meanwhile, 1034 are receiving treatment in hospital and another 229 are in intensive care.

While 80 per cent of all coronavirus cases are mild and result in full recovery, the symptoms can be life-threatening for elderly people and those with pre-existing health conditions.

The majority of coronavirus cases are in Lombardy, the northern region home to Italy’s financial capital, Milan, where two magistrates have been infected.

Fifty-five patients have died in Lombardy alone. 

Ten Lombard towns have been under lockdown for over a week now, along with one town in the Veneto region.

Residents are blocked inside the affected towns and police prevent any outsiders from entering.

A high concentration of new cases has emerged around the city of Bergamo, northeast of Milan, and the head of the National Health Institute told reporters a new red zone may be imposed there to try to stem the rise.

All cultural and sporting events across northern Italy have been cancelled or postponed, while schools and tourist sites in affected areas have been ordered closed.

Authorities hope that the draconian measures will start to pay off in the coming week.

“At the end of the week we will understand if and how much the containment measures put in place have slowed the epidemic,” Silvio Brusaferro, the head of Italy’s National Health Institute, told a press conference on Monday.

“We expect positive results, I am optimistic.

“We ask all citizens for collaboration.

“Their help is important for breaking the chain of infections.”

Brusaferro added that the cases being confirmed now were likely to be people who were infected before the measures were introduced.

Researchers have said the virus could have been “circulating for weeks” in Italy before it was detected.