Tenor Andrea Bocelli admits to breaking lockdown and says he doesn't believe in the coronavirus.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Monday harshly criticized the Italian government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying he felt humiliated by the country's recent lockdown and urged people to disobey the rules in place. 

The surprising comments, made during a hearing in the Italian Senate, were especially striking because the blind star was a symbol of national unity at the height of the lockdown, when he sang in the empty Milan Cathedral on Easter Sunday, in a solo performance broadcast live and called "Music for Hope". 

“I felt humiliated and offended. I couldn’t leave my house even though I hadn’t committed any crime,” said Bocelli, 61, at a conference attended by opposition politicians such as Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, who has attacked Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government for its handling of the coronavirus crisis. 

The national lockdown began in Italy in early March and was eased in phases over the following three months. Bocelli confessed that he disobeyed lockdown rules "because I didn't think it was right or healthy to stay at home at my age." 

The singer also said he believes the situation can't be as serious as the authorities say, since he doesn't know anyone who has needed intensive treatment. "So why all this sense of gravity?"

More than 35 Italians have died from the coronavirus.