Filippo Anelli, the president of the Italian federation of medical guilds (FNOMCEO), has called for Italy to be put into a "total lockdown throughout the country".
In a Facebook post, Anelli said the national health system cannot cope with the rising number of COVID-19 cases and warned Italy could suffer 10,000 more deaths in a month.
Last week Premier Giuseppe Conte's government introduced a three-tier system of restrictions that saw Calabria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Val d'Aosta go into a soft lockdown.
These regions have the toughest restrictions under this system after being classed as high-contagion-risk red zones.
Puglia and Sicily have slightly less stringent restrictions as they have been classed as medium-high risk 'orange zones' while the rest of the country is moderate risk - yellow.
Under the restrictions, which apply until, December 3, ron-essential shops and markets are closed in red zones and travel outside one's home town is banned, except for work or health reasons.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
