Italy's prime minister has signed a decree to enforce a nationwide night curfew from 10pm on Thursday as he tries to halt the resurgence of coronavirus, media reported.

Giuseppe Conte was expected to detail other measures, such as shutting shopping centres at the weekend and also museums, in a new programme of restrictions that will last until December 3.

Tougher curbs could also be imposed in the hardest-hit areas under a new three-tier system that divides Italy's 20 regions into either red, orange or green, with red being the highest risk.

The curfew will run until 5am, with 60 million Italians only allowed out for work or health reasons, according to the media reports.