Italy pumps cash into coronavirus-hit economy as death toll passes 2,000

Medical workers in protective suits push an isolation stretcher in front of the Columbus Clinic, where patients suffering from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were moved from Spallanzani Hospital, in Rome, Italy March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

ROME (Reuters) - Italy approved 25 billion euros of spending measures on Monday to help the fragile economy survive the onslaught of coronavirus as the death toll in Europe's worst-affected country jumped above 2,000.

The decree throws a financial lifeline to families and firms who face hardship after the government last week ordered a draconian lockdown on the entire country to stem the contagion.