Quarter of Italians on lockdown as govt approves quarantine

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Italy's coronavirus death toll rises by 133 in a day

Italy's death toll from the new coronavirus has shot up by 133 to 366 while the number of infections has risen by a single-day record of 1,492 to hit 7,375.

www.rte.ie

Quarter of Italians on lockdown as govt approves quarantine
Updated / Sunday, 8 Mar 2020 07:26

The new measures say people should not enter or leave Lombardy, as well as 14 provinces in four other regions

Millions of people have been placed under forced quarantine in northern Italy as the government approved drastic measures in an attempt to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The unprecedented restrictions, which will impact some 16 million people and stay in force until 3 April, were signed into law overnight by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

The new measures say people should not enter or leave Lombardy, Italy's richest region, as well as 14 provinces in four other regions, including the cities of Venice, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Rimini.

"There will be no movement in or out of these areas, or within them, unless for proven, work-related reasons, emergencies or health reasons," Mr Conte told a news conference in the middle of the night after hours of confusion over his plans.

Milan is among a whole host of cities that will remain under lockdown until 3 April
"We have to limit the spread of the virus and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed," he added.

However, it was not immediately clear how fiercely the order would be policed and at first light this morning, flights appeared to be operating normally out of Milan's two airports and Venice airport, while rail operators were still selling train tickets.

According to the decree, all museums, gyms, cultural centres, ski resorts and swimming pools will be shut in the targeted zones, while leave was cancelled for health workers as Italy's hospitals sag under the pressure of the virus.

Restaurants and bars will be allowed to open from 6am to 6pm and only if they can guarantee that customers are at least one metre apart.

The government enacted the draft just hours after officials had announced that the number of coronavirus cases had leapt by more than 1,200 in a 24-hour period - the biggest daily rise since the epidemic began in the country two weeks ago.

Deaths due to the infectious virus had also risen by 36 to 233, while the number of patients in intensive care climbed to 567, up 23% from the day before.

Of the 5,883 Italians originally infected, 589 have fully recovered.