ANTIBODY TESTING TO START MAY 4

Speaking at a nationally televised press conference earlier in the day, Extraordinary Commissioner for the Coronavirus Emergency Domenico Arcuri said that winning the war against the new coronavirus will depend on individual decisions once the national lockdown ends on May 3.

"No government decree will give us a definitive victory over the virus -- that will depend solely on us and our behavior," Arcuri said.

"I strongly invite you to behave ... with determination, a spirit of sacrifice, and a sense of belonging to the national community," said the commissioner.

Arcuri said that blood testing for antibodies to the new coronavirus -- to find out what percentage, if any, of the population has unknowingly come in contact with the virus at some point -- will begin on May 4.

The serological survey is a key part of Italy's public health strategy to contain the virus during Phase Two of the emergency, when businesses will gradually reopen and isolation measures will be eased after the end of the lockdown.

"The competition for serological tests has concluded today and 72 companies participated," Arcuri said. "The winner ... is offering the test for free," he said. "So we have obtained the best offer on the existing market while at the same time without burdening state coffers."

"Starting on May 4, we will begin our survey on the first 150,000 citizens, which we have organized into a (representative) sample," Arcuri explained.