More Than 16 Million People Under Lock-Down In Italy As Coronavirus Spreads Rapidly

Italy has quarantined or isolated more than 16 million as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading in the European country.

The development was announced this Sunday by Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte who also announced a cocktail of measures the country was taking to contain the virus. He said:

We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big.

But this is a time where we must take responsibility for ourselves.

Italy has suspended weddings and funerals as well as religious and cultural events while cinemas, night clubs, gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts have been closed.

Moreover, restaurants and cafes can open between 06:00 and 18:00 but customers must sit at least a metre apart and those who break the quarantine could face three months in jail.

Most of the cases recorded in Africa were of people who had travelled from Italy and African countries have been urged to intensify their efforts to prevent the spread of virus.

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