Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has extended emergency coronavirus measures and is urging people to stay at home to try to control the outbreak. Italy has also banned all public gatherings and only wants those with a valid work or family reason to travel. Last week only the Northern areas of Italy were on lockdown but as of Monday restrictions were expanded to the whole country.
Italy is second to China in the number of active coronavirus cases with confirmed cases in all 20 Italian regions. So far they have had over 9,000 confirmed cases and over 450 deaths due to the virus.
All Italian schools and universities will be closed until April 3rd, at least. All public events including sports games, religious ceremonies, and funerals have been suspended for now, and there is currently a 6:00 pm curfew on all outdoor events and nightlife. In addition, the Pope is offering his masses via live broadcast instead of in person.
Travelers at Milan’s train station had to verify why they were traveling to the police. They needed to provide documents, exact reasons, and contacts who could confirm their reasoning.
Riots have broken out in over 27 prisons after the news of the quarantines and lockdowns. Part of the prisoners’ anger was due to banning jail-release programs and daily visits for inmates until the virus is under control.
Residents all over the country have expressed concerns over the economic ramifications. Italy is highly dependent on tourism and with countries including the US enforcing travel restrictions, it will be very hard for businesses to thrive. Formerly busy hotels, businesses, and cities have now been emptied because of the outbreak.
People have been forced to postpone trips to Italy because of the coronavirus. American high schools and universities have canceled spring trips and study abroad programs as well.
More COVID-19 cases are being reported every day all over the world. For now, the US has not been as badly affected as Italy or China but the case numbers are continuing to rise each day.