Sweeping Italian lockdown over virus empties streets
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ITALY faced an unprecedented lockdown yesterday that left streets in the capital Rome and other cities deserted after the government extended a clampdown across the entire country in a bid to slow Europe’s worst outbreak of the coronavirus.
The measures, announced late on Monday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, widen steps already taken in the rich northern region of Lombardy and parts of neighboring provinces, clamping down on movement and closing public spaces. “The future of Italy is in our hands. Let us all do our part, by giving up something for our collective good,” Conte said in a tweet, encouraging people to take personal responsibility.
For at least the next three weeks, people have been told to move around only for reasons of work, for health needs or emergencies or else stay at home. Anyone travelling will have to fill in a document declaring their reasons and carry it with them. Violators risked up to three months in jail or fines of 206 euros (US$225).
Large gatherings and outdoor events, including sports, have been banned, while bars and restaurants will have to close from 6pm. Schools and universities will remain closed until April 3.
The measures came after the latest data showed the coronavirus outbreak continuing to rise, with 9,172 positive cases recorded as of Monday and 463 deaths, the second highest-level in the world after China.
But Italian doctors celebrated one small victory in their battle against the coronavirus after a 38-year-old man was moved out of intensive care for the first time since he tested positive on February 21 and opened Italy’s health care crisis as Patient No. 1.
Internationally, Italy was gradually becoming sealed off. Malta announced a ban on air and sea traffic from Italy, and British Airways canceled flights to the whole country. Austria barred travelers from crossing the border without a medical certificate. Britain, Ireland and Germany strengthened travel advisories or flat-out urged their citizens to leave.
Meanwhile, outbreaks flared in France, Spain and Germany, and fear grew in the United States, where more than 750 people are infected. More than 115,800 people have been infected worldwide and over 4,000 have died.
US President Donald Trump was planning to announce proposals yesterday aimed at curbing the economic fallout from the outbreak. He said the measures would include payroll tax relief.
Trump dove into handshakes with supporters on Monday and flew back from a Florida fundraiser with a lawmaker who later went into a voluntary quarantine because he came in contact with someone who had tested positive. Trump’s incoming chief of staff, too, went into quarantine, also stemming from concerns from a conservative political gathering attended by an infected person.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump has not been tested because he has not had “prolonged close contacts” with any patients and “does not have any symptoms.”
A growing number of military and political leaders are getting sick with the virus. Poland’s top army commander, General Jaroslaw Mika, was diagnosed after returning from a meeting in Germany. Many other officials are in self-isolation after potential exposure, including the German interior minister and the Norwegian defense minister. This follows the French culture minister and several French lawmakers testing positive a day earlier.
The virus has appeared in over 100 countries, with Panama and Mongolia the newest countries to announce infections.
Iran yesterday reported 54 new deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day toll since the start of the outbreak in the country.
A downward trend in new coronavirus cases in South Korea raised hope yesterday that Asia’s biggest outbreak outside China may be slowing, but officials urged vigilance with new clusters of infections emerging from a call center and a dance class.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 131 new virus cases on Monday, down from a peak of 909 on February 29. The new figures brought the national tally to 7,513, while the death toll rose by eight to 59.
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