Italy Puts Entire Country on Lockdown to Prevent Coronavirus Spread

Italy has taken the unprecedented step to restrict travel across the entire country as it tries to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Monday evening he was extending the ban on travel already in place in northern Italy to the whole country, affecting more than 60 million people.

“The whole of Italy will become a protected zone,” PM Conte said, adding, “This is the moment of self-responsibility.”

All personal travel that is not for essential work, or for health or family emergencies, is banned for at least three weeks.

All public gatherings, including weddings and funerals, are also banned, while bars and restaurants will have to close at 6 p.m. All sporting events have been suspended, and school and university closures will be extended until Apr. 3.

To enforce the ban, military police, railway police, and health workers are carrying out checks on transportation sites like highways and train stations.

The number of cases in Italy surpassed 9,100 on Monday, and at least 460 people have died. Cases of the virus have been confirmed in all 20 Italian regions.

The outbreak in Italy – Europe’s worst outbreak – began in the northern regions of Lombardy, home to the financial capital of Milan, Emilia Romagna, and Veneto, with Venice as its capital.

The decision puts immense pressure on the country’s $253 billion tourism industry. Rome landmarks — including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican — were closed or empty, and police directed tourists to return to their hotels.

UK carriers British Airways and Ryanair canceled all flights to and from Italy. Delta Air Lines also suspended some flights to the country.