Italy to lock down Lombardy and other regions to fight Coronavirus outbreak
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The Italian government is expected to announce the full lock down of Lombardy region and several other northern areas to fight Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. The other regions include Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Venezia, Padova, Treviso, Asti and Alessandria.
The government hasn’t yet taken a final decision, but one could come on Saturday night, according to an Italian official. The quarantine would take effect on Sunday, according to the draft decree.
The measures, in force until April 3, will ban entering or exiting the area, and movement inside will be allowed only for “undeferrable” business or health reasons, the draft said. The rules will close schools, museums, swimming pools and theaters, according to the draft.
Italy had confirmed 5,883 coronavirus cases by Saturday, of which 233 people had died, in the biggest outbreak outside Asia. Italy has tried to respond with more moderate restrictions, such as banning many public events, but before Saturday it only imposed lockdowns only on small areas in the country’s north, with a population of around 50,000.
Bars and restaurants will have to maintain a distance of at least a meter between people or will be shut. Work meetings have to be suspended. The draft specifies that failing to respect the measures is a penal offense.
With Italy’s economy already at risk of recession before the outbreak, the crisis has all but paralyzed business activity in Lombardy — home to major companies including carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.
Parental leave will be boosted for families coping with children at home due to school closures because of the coronavirus, according to a government report on measures passed Thursday.
There will also be “support for working parents” in the package, the report said. For the moment schools and universities have been closed till March 15 but this measure may be extended.
In another development, Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of Italy’s Democratic party, one of the national ruling parties, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Zingaretti, who is also president of the Lazio region, made the announcement in a Facebook video.
“So, it’s arrived, I also have coronavirus,” he said. “I am fine, and therefore I am in quarantine at home. From here, I’ll continue to do what I can do. My family are also following the protocols, and ASL [the local health authority] is contacting people who have worked closely [with me] in recent days to carry out checks. I have always said ‘don’t panic’ and that we will fight this.”
