Table 1.

Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

December 31, 2019	The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, reports a cluster of pneumonia cases (including seven severe cases) of unknown etiology.
January 9, 2020	China CDC reports that a novel coronavirus (later named SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19) had been detected as the causative agent for 15 of the 59 cases of pneumonia.
January 17, 2020	ECDC publishes its first risk assessment on the novel coronavirus.
January 22, 2020	The Italian Ministry of Health instructs a task force to coordinate a surveillance system for suspected cases and interventions in national territory.
January 30, 2020	Two Chinese tourists hospitalized for respiratory tract infection are the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 detected in Italy. The WHO declares this first outbreak of novel coronavirus a “public health emergency of international concern.”
January 31, 2020	The Italian Council of Ministers declares a national public health emergency condition.
February 21, 2020	The Italian National Institute of Health confirms the first case of local transmission of COVID-19 infection. Over the following days, the Italian authorities reported clusters of cases in several regions (Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto etc.).
March 8–9, 2020	The Italian Council of Ministers issues a decree to install strict public health measures starting in the most affected regions (i.e., Lombardy and Veneto). These measures include social distancing and restricting movements of people within and outside the hometown, with permitted travel limited to shopping for food, going to work (only for essential services to remain operating; work from home is encouraged), or seeking medical care. All planned surgeries are postponed in order to give over intensive care beds to the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
March 11, 2020	The Director General of the WHO declares COVID-19 a “global pandemic.” The Italian Council of Ministers extends the strict containment measures at national level.
March 13, 2020	The WHO declares Europe is becoming the new epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic.
March 31, 2020	Official reports indicated 7,593 COVID-19–associated deaths and 44,773 infected individuals. The Italian Ministry of Health issues recommendations for pregnant women, women in labor, puerperal women, newborns and breastfeeding mothers.
April, 2020	Italian scientific associations in the field of perinatal medicine (e.g., FIGO and SIN) start to publish interim recommendations for management of pregnant-woman in labor, puerperal women, newborns and breastfeeding mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 4, 2020	The Italian Council of Ministers restores the freedom of movement, and other non-essential activities re-open later in the month.
May 31, 2020	The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (in collaboration with ACP, AGUI, AOGOI, FNOPO, SIAARTI, SIGO, SIMP, SIN, SIP, and TAS) publishes interim indications for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and the care of very young children 0-2 years in response to the COVID-19 emergency.

Table adapted from the Timeline of ECDC's response to COVID-19 (available on-line at www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19/timeline-ecdc-response).

ACP, Associazione Culturale Pediatri; AOGOI, Associazione Ostetrici Ginecologi Ospedalieri Italiani; AGUI, Associazione Ginecologi Universitari Italiani; China CDC, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; ECDC, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control; FIGO, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics; FNOPO, Federazione Nazionale degli Ordini della Professione di Ostetrica; SIAARTI, Società Italiana di Anestesia Analgesia Rianimazione e Terapia Intensiva; SIGO, Società Italiana di Ginecologia e Ostetricia; SIMP, Società Italiana di Medicina Perinatale; SIN, Società Italiana di Neonatologia; SIP, Società Italiana di Pediatria; TAS, Tavolo Tecnico Allattamento del Ministero della Salute; WHO, World Health Organization.