British premier Boris Johnson on Friday congratulated Italy's prime minister Mario Draghi on his government's taming of the Coronavirus epidemic during its first months in power, sources in Draghi's office said.
"Compliments for everything you have done - you've got the virus under control," Johnson told Draghi, said the sources.
Johnson made the remarks to Draghi on the first day of the G7 summit taking place in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Britain's southwestern region of Cornwall from Friday to Sunday.
Cornwall "is the nearest thing Britain has to the Amalfi Coast," Johnson told Draghi, according to the sources.
Italy's Coronavirus R number is now down to 0.68 - below the crucial threshold of 1, above which cases keep increasing - Adnkronos Salute learned from sources at Italy's Istituto Superiore della Santita coordination unit for COVID-19 monitoring.
Coronavirus restrictions are due to be relaxed next week in five more Italian regions - Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Puglia and Trento. Half the country's population will be free from night-time curfews and other constraints from Monday although wearing masks in public and social distancing will still be mandatory.
