Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday said the country will set a nationwide nighttime curfew amid COVID-19 concerns.

Addressing parliament, Conte said more stringent measures, including curbing travel in the worst-hit regions and introducing a nighttime curfew, were now needed given the recent
resurgence of the virus.

He said the country would be divided into three areas depending on the risk level. He warned that intensive care units would be overwhelmed in 15 of Italy's 20 regions by next month
unless action was taken, and said certain places faced tougher restrictions than others.

Italy on Monday reported 29,907 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its national tally to 709,335. A total of 208 more deaths were also recorded, raising its death toll to 38,826.

The Portuguese government also intends to declare a health emergency enabling stricter curbs to be imposed in the fight against a surge in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Monday. 

"We propose that an emergency be declared for preventive purposes, to avoid legal uncertainties," he said after announcing at the weekend a partial lockdown to take effect from Wednesday.

Measures already in place in parts of northern Portugal will be expanded from Wednesday to cover 7.1 million people, or 70 percent of the population.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)