Milan and 14 provinces in Italy in quarantine as fatalities rise to 233
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The Italian government has introduced tough new measures to try to stop the spread of coronavirus, which include telling people not to enter or leave the hardest-hit region of Lombardy.
The country has seen its number of infections rise by more than 1,200 in the last 24 hours and has reported the second highest number of fatalities at 233.
So far, limited areas of northern Italy – known as “red zones” – have been quarantined.
But the new legislation tells people not to travel out of or inside Lombardy – the country’s wealthiest and most populous region, which includes the financial capital Milan.
Another 14 provinces in other regions are also covered in the document which has now been agreed.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the provinces affected were Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.
People wear protective face masks while attending a funeral service in Nembro, near Bergamo, northern Italy, amid concerns over the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Italy is the European country most affected by the coronavirus. EPA-EFE/MATTEO CORNER
The decree instructs citizens to “absolutely avoid” either entering or leaving the areas listed, and even to avoid moving around other than for emergencies or “essential work reasons” within the designated areas.
See the full decree issued by Italian Government here
A file photo of Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the Italian Democratic Party (PD). Zingaretti announced on a social media platform that he has been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. He was cited as saying he was fine, was at home and following the protocols. EPA-EFE/RICCARDO ANTIMIANI
Schools will be closed until at least 3 April in all areas covered by the decree – including towns in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont.
Night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts will be closed.
Restaurants and cafes can open but customers must sit at least a metre apart.
People will be told to stay home as much as possible, and those who break the quarantine could face three months in jail.
Sports competitions will close to the public, and the president of Italy’s football players’ union has called for all matches to be postponed.
The World Health Organization has advised Italy to strongly focus on virus containment measures as infections spread in the country.
