Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said this Saturday, in a press conference broadcast live on Facebook, that this is a “difficult decision”, but “necessary”, to “face the most acute phase” of this pandemic, which has already made Italy the country with the highest death toll in the world.
The Government decided to end all “production activities, throughout the territory, that are not strictly necessary, crucial and essential to guarantee essential goods and services”, he said.
The Italian region of Lombardy, the most affected by the covid-19 pandemic, will also toughen restrictive measures to contain the outbreak, enacting a ban on sport and fines of up to 5000 euros for meetings in public places. Sunday and runs until April 15, explained the Northern Italy region on its website.
The document suspends artisanal activities, offices and companies, as well as weekly markets, with the exception of essential, urgent or public services, prevents the use of vending machines and interrupts works in progress, except hospital and road works .
All accommodation units will also be closed and customers will have to abandon them within the first 72 hours after the decree comes into force, leaving only accommodation related to emergency management.
The region also advises the population to keep one meter away at all times, such as in public transport, supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals, recommending that body temperature meters be facilitated.
Italy is the country in the world with the highest number of fatalities, with 4 825 dead (793 more than on Friday) in 53 578 cases (another 6 557, a record in 24 hours). According to Italian authorities, 6062 of those infected are already cured.
China, where the epidemic broke out in late December, has a total of 81,008 cases, with 3255 deaths recorded.
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