The Italian government quarantined 16 million people in the country's north after a spike in coronavirus cases
MILAN - Italy ordered a virtual lockdown across a swathe of its wealthy north on Sunday, including the financial capital Milan, in a drastic new attempt to try to contain a rapidly growing outbreak of coronavirus.
Conte said nobody would be allowed to move in or out of these areas, or within them, unless they had proven, work-related reasons for doing so, or health issues. Streets in northern cities including Milan were quieter than normal on Sunday morning. However, it was not immediately clear how stringently the order would be policed, with people caught away from home when the measures came into force allowed to return.By early Sunday the measures had still not appeared in the Official Gazette, where legislation must be published to formally take effect.
Church services on Sunday were also canceled in the region, while the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would make his weekly Sunday blessing via a video linkup rather than directly from St Peter’s Square to limit the risk of contagion. Of the 5,883 Italians originally infected, 589 have fully recovered, but the hospital system has come under increasing strain.
As the alarm spread, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Italy should ban all its citizens from traveling to Europe.On Saturday, health officials expressed alarm at the apparent lack of concern in the general public, as fine weekend weather attracted large crowds to the ski slopes outside Milan.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Italy Locks Down the Country’s North to Fight CoronavirusItaly is locking down 17 million people—more than a quarter of its population, as the coronavirus outbreak in northern provinces continues to escalate.
Read more »
Italy orders lockdown of swathes of north to try to stop coronavirusItaly imposed a virtual lockdown across a swathe of its wealthy north on Sunday,...
Read more »
Italy Plans Large-Scale Lockdown in Country’s North to Fight CoronavirusItaly is planning a widespread quarantine that would ban entry to, and exit from, Lombardy and nearby provinces in the country’s north, according to a draft decree, as the coronavirus outbreak there continues to escalate.
Read more »
Italy to quarantine Milan, Venice and other regions – mediaItalian government intends to quarantine entire Lombardy region around Milan as well as areas around and including Venice and the northern cities of Parma and Rimini – media
Read more »