Cardinal Bassetti positive for covid 19

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, president of the Italian Bishops' Conference, tested positive for COVID-19.

Bassetti, archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve, is 78 years old. His conditions are under strict control, according to a statement released by the bishops' conference on October 28.

"The cardinal lives this moment with faith, hope and courage," the bishops' conference said, noting that those who had been in contact with the cardinal were being tested.

Bassetti is the fourth cardinal to test positive for the coronavirus this year. In September, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, head of the Vatican's congregation for evangelization, tested positive for COVID-19 during a trip to the Philippines. The Archdiocese of Manila announced that Tagle had recovered on 23 September.

Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso and Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, vicar general of the diocese of Rome, tested positive and recovered from COVID-19 in March.

Europe is currently experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases which has led France to re-impose a nationwide lockdown and Germany to close all bars and restaurants for a month.

Italy has documented 156.215 new cases in the past week, according to the Ministry of Health. On 25 October, the Italian government imposed new restrictions requiring all restaurants and bars to close at 18pm, while closing all gyms, theaters, cinemas and concert halls.

Vatican City was also affected, with 13 Swiss guards testing positive for COVID-19 in October. A resident of Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican hotel where Pope Francis lives, tested positive for the coronavirus on October 17 and was placed in solitary confinement.

Italy was one of the most affected countries in Europe during the first wave of coronavirus. More than 689.766 people tested positive for COVID-19 and 37.905 died in Italy as of October 28.

Italy's health ministry said Wednesday that the country recorded 24.991 new cases in 24 hours - a new daily record. About 276.457 people are currently confirmed positive for the virus in Italy, of which 27.946 in the Lazio region, which includes Rome