Italy in total lockdown

: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, March 11, 2020

A view of the Pincio Hill in Rome, Italy, on the first day of the lockdown of the country, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

The novel coronavirus continued to spread in locked-down Italy on Tuesday, with authorities confirming that 8,514 people have tested positive and 631 have died since the epidemic first emerged in northern Italy on Feb. 21.

The decree of the Italian government putting the country under lockdown goes into effect on Tuesday and will last till April 3, in a bid to prevent the ongoing coronavirus epidemic from spreading. It came after the Civil Protection Department on Monday evening announced the tally of 7,985 people infected.

The decree suspends all cultural, religious, trade and sporting events, including weddings, funerals and the Serie A football championship, and forbids residents from traveling outside their municipality except for demonstrable work or health-related reasons.

It shuts down pubs, movie theaters, museums, betting and gaming facilities, night clubs, places of worship, schools and universities, ski facilities, swimming pools, gyms, and spas.

It also says people must maintain a "personal security distance" of at least one meter from other people. Bars and restaurants can operate until 6 p.m., but only as long as they allow clients to maintain that distance.