Italy on Sunday reported a record number of new coronavirus cases, the most in one day since the outbreak began.

The Ministry of Health said a total of 11,705 new cases were recorded eclipsing the previous record of 10,925 reported on Saturday.

The ministry added that there were 69 new COVID-19-related deaths. This figure was up from the 47 deaths reported the previous day, representing an increase of about 47 percent. This, however, pales in comparison to the number of fatalities during the peak period when they were more than 900.

Unnamed officials within the Italian government said the prime minister may order bars and restaurants to close early, ban some sporting activities and change high school hours to avoid crowding.

Meanwhile, the UK recorded 16,982 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, new government data showed on Sunday.

The figure is a marginal increase from the 16,717 cases reported on Saturday.

The number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test was 67. This was down by more than half from the previous day's figure of 150.

A number of European countries are experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections. The UK is one of four countries which have been identified as current coronavirus hot spots on the continent. The others are France, Russia and Spain.

(With input from agencies)