Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree early Sunday, which will put most of northern Italy under lockdown due to novel coronavirus.
The entire Lombardy region is included as well as 14 other provinces.
The reporter is verifying exactly when the lockdown will go into effect.
Draft text:
The text of the draft proposal – sent to us by the press office of the Lombardy regional authority – says that people in Lombardy and other 11 provinces should “absolutely avoid any movement into and out (of) … as well as within the same territories … except for travel motivated by unavoidable working needs or situations of emergency.”
The draft says the police, the fire brigade and armed forces could be used to enforce these measures.
The measures also could include:
- Schools and universities being suspended until April 3.
- All sporting events in those regions being suspended, with the exception of professional events. No spectators would be allowed at professional events.
- People in places of prayer standing 1 meter away from each other.
- Bars and restaurants enforcing social distancing.
- Medical staff not being allowed to take a leave of absence.
It’s unclear if these measures are included in the prime minister’s decree. It could impact more than 10 million people in Italy.