Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte has banned Serie A clubs from returning to team training until at least April 13.

The Serie A season was suspended indefinitely last month with Italy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Napoli and Lazio were among the clubs to backtrack on plans to return to training last month and with Italy extending their nationwide lockdown until April 13, Conte ruled out any team sessions taking place.

“Actual measures are extended until April 13. We know we are asking another effort, another sacrifice,” he said on Wednesday.

“We have to understand one thing – if we stop following the rules or reduce these measures, we will waste our efforts.”

Conte added: “The only news introduced is about athletes’ training sessions…training sessions are not allowed in clubs’ headquarters.

“It doesn’t mean athletes cannot train themselves, they can do it individually.”

More than 13,100 people have died from coronavirus in Italy, with the global death toll exceeding 46,000.

Despite the carnage sweeping Italy, Lazio sporting director Igli Tare believes the Serie A season must be finished when the Covid-19 issue relents or it will be a ‘disaster’.

“The season must be completed. The championship must go on out of respect for the dead and all the fans,” the Lazio chief told Sport 1.

“The time is not yet ripe to decide on the cancellation. The number of infected people is decreasing and interrupting the season would be unfair.”

Tare added on the possible financial implications of ending the season prematurely: “For Italian football, stopping here would be a disaster.

“We will try to prevent this from happening with all our strength. In Italian football over 75% of clubs finance their budget through TV rights, if these revenues were not there, it would come to collapse.”