Italy announced that it surrendered and its prime minister said that they had no control of the COVID-19 situation.

There is no credible source which proves that the Prime Minister of Italy said that they had lost control of the coronavirus outbreak.

There is no credible source which proves that the Prime Minister of Italy said that they had lost control of the coronavirus outbreak.Social media posts claimed that Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had said that their control had gone and that Italy had announced its surrender over the coronavirus outbreak.

There is no such official statement made by the prime minister.

As per the official publication by the Italian government, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (DPCM) on 22 March 2020 which introduced additional measures to be taken throughout the country to counter and contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It said that all industrial and commercial production activities were suspended and that it had forbidden transportation. It also added that the provisions of the decree would take effect from 23 March 2020 lasting till 3 April 2020.

Therefore, it is considered to be a false claim.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.