Italy will extend its strict coronavirus (Covid-19) quarantine measures to the entire country as of Tuesday in an attempt to stop the continued spread of the virus, according to a widely reported update on Monday evening.
Announced by the head of the Italian government Giuseppe Conte, this call means that measures already in place in the North of Italy will now cover the entire country.
In the past days, the Italian government had already ordered lockdown in the whole of Lombardy including Milan, as well as the Venice region and parts of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna. All cultural events were cancelled until 3 April, while night clubs, cinemas, theatres, bars, dance schools and other places where people gather in numbers are closed until then.
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All the measures of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territories, Conte said, according to reports. The move has been taken in order to protect the population, and especially the most fragile individuals, he added.
*BREAKING: Italy's PM Conte just put ALL of ITALY UNDER the same LOCKDOWN rules as the north. He calls it the "I STAY HOME" decree. People can only move around for work reasons (transport of essential goods), for other pressing needs, or for health reasons. Effective tomoro a.m.
— Rachel Donadio (@RachelDonadio) March 9, 2020
These extended restrictions will last until 3 April, and means that schools will also remain closed, rather than reopening on 16 March as expected.
Italy registered 1,807 more confirmed cases as of Monday evening, bringing the national total to 9,172.
The Brussels Times
