ROME — Italy’s daily new caseload of confirmed COVID-19 infections dropped considerably on Monday, but some 43,000 fewer swab tests were performed in the last 24 hours.

According to Health Ministry figures, there were 25,271 new cases, some 7,000 fewer than the previous day.

Ministry figures on Mondays frequently reflect reduced testing over the weekend. Still, Italy’s overall number of confirmed cases in the pandemic climbed closer to the 1 million mark, with 960,373 as of Monday.

Since Sunday, 356 deaths were registered, raising to 41,750 the known total in the pandemic. Italian government officials were deciding on Monday about expanding the so-called “red zone” lockdown areas, beyond the four regions so designated last week in an urgent bid to slow the surging spread of COVID-19.

People in red-zone regions cannot leave their towns or even their homes, except for essential reasons including food shopping, doctor’s visits, work, or, in the case of younger children, schools.

Classrooms for upper grades are shuttered in red-zone regions, forcing older students to have lessons remotely.