An epidemiologist in the Italian task force warns “it’s probably going to be impossible for crowds to attend football games before October.”

The ambitions to get Serie A matches back on track for May 2 now seem increasingly unlikely, as another 793 people died over the last 24 hours in Italy.

“We need to be clear with people, but without terrorising them,” epidemiologist Pierluigi Lopalco told La Repubblica.

“I think it’s probably going to be impossible for crowds to attend football games before October. My prediction is that the restrictive measures on movement will continue at least until the summer.

“There can and must be some mitigation, so we’ll get back to working, to going out, but it all has to be done very slowly and cautiously.”

The death toll in Italy now stands at 4,032 with 16,020 in hospital, of which 2,655 are in intensive care.