Rome, Nov 5 (IANS): Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has signed a decree imposing a nationwide 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew as coronavirus cases continued to surge in the country.

The decree, which was signed around Tuesday midnight and goes into effect on November 5 and lasts until December 3, came as new cases jumped by 28,244 on Tuesday and 353 Covid-19 patients lost their lives, according to the Ministry of Health, Xinhua news agency reported.

By Tuesday, the total number of active infections reached 418,142, of whom 394,803 were quarantined at home, 21,114 were hospitalised and 2,225 were in intensive care units.

The new decree marks the country into three sectors (low risk, medium risk and high risk) with different rules according to their level of infection.

The government has not yet indicated which of Italy's 20 regions fall in which sector.

Nationwide, the new decree orders high schools to revert to online learning.

Kindergartens and elementary schools remain open and universities have leeway to decide what percentage of their students must be taught online to avoid crowding on campus.

Throughout the country, shopping malls must shut down on weekends and holidays, bars and restaurants can stay open only between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m., and public transportation must operate at 50 per cent capacity.

Museums, galleries, theatres, concert halls, movie theatres and betting venues must shut down, and public gatherings, celebrations, fairs, festivals and events, whether outdoors or indoors, are banned.