Italy Quarantines 16 Million As Coronavirus Ravages Country

With all 22 regions of Italy now having confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the European country has placed about 16 million people under quarantine as part of measures to curb the deadly virus.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Sunday that from now till April 3, residents of Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces in the country would no longer be able to travel without special permission.

The measure, which affects Milan and Venice, is coming after several countries, including Nigeria, reported cases of COVID-19 in persons who had travelled to or had contact with people who returned from Italy.

As part of measures to curb the virus, Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs, among others, in the country.

“We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big,” Conte said on Sunday.

The radical move will see Italy preventing the exit or entry of people in the northern region of Lombardy, which houses over 10 million people.

Other provinces affected by the measure are: Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua andTreviso.

“There will be no movement in or out of these areas, or within them, unless for proven, work-related reasons emergencies or health reasons.

“We are facing an emergency, a national emergency. We have to limit the spread of the virus and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed,” said Conte.

COVID-19 has reportedly killed over 233 people and infected about 6,000 in the southern European country.

Italy, as at the beginning of 2017, had an estimated population of 60 million.