Vò, near Venice, was one of the 11 towns and villages at the centre of the country's COVID-19 outbreak and began the trial at the start of the pandemic in Europe. The experiment involved blanket testing of the town's entire population of 3,300 people and the imposition of very strict quarantine on those infected and their contacts.

Italian news reports suggest the town has not registered new cases since Friday. "Testing was vital, it has saved many lives," mayor Giuliano Martini was quoted by the country's media.