Italy’s lockdown goes nationwide as Europe sees coronavirus cases rising across continent
- Streets empty after nation of 60 million was told to stay at home as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warns ‘the future of Italy is in our hands’
- Every EU country has now reported cases of Covid-19 as it spreads across continent even as China sees number of cases drop
Italy’s 60 million population woke up to an unprecedented nationwide lockdown on Tuesday in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The health care system is under mounting pressure as the number of cases approached 10,000 – including 463 deaths as of Monday – making it the second largest outbreak after China and passing South Korea.
Under the drastic quarantine measures effective from Tuesday, everybody was prohibited from travelling except for work reasons or emergencies in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus that causes the disease.
“The future of Italy is in our hands. Let us all do our part, by giving up something for our collective good,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a tweet, encouraging people to take personal responsibility.
All public gatherings and sporting events have been suspended, including soccer matches.
Tourists are not affected by the measures but officials warned that flights could be cancelled in the days and weeks ahead and some airlines announced that they were suspending services.