Italy locks down Lombardy, 10 million quarantined

Italy takes the dramatic step of locking down the whole of Lombardy in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Venice is one of the areas in lockdown as Italy takes drastic measures to contain the virus. Picture: AFP.

The Italian government is taking the dramatic steps of locking down an entire region of more than 10 million people in Lombardy in the country’s north until at least April 3 in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The measures in Italy came as six people were killed in China when a hotel being used to quarantine people under observation for COVID-19 collapsed.

The hotel in the southeastern city of Qanzhou began to collapse on Saturday night, and 43 people had been retrieved by 10.30am on Sunday (AEDT). Of those, six have been confirmed dead, and 36 have been sent to hospital. Authorities were still searching for 28 people.

Under the new Italian measures, weddings and funerals have been suspended, and leave is cancelled for all medical workers. ­Religious ceremonies, including church services, have been suspended and soccer matches will be played behind closed doors.

A government decree was due to be signed late on Sunday (AEDT) after an explosion of infections. It will now be an offence for people to leave the Lombardy ­region as well as 11 provinces in four of Italy’s other regions.

The new rules mean the Australian Institute of Sport campus at Varese will be forced to close for the coming weeks, although it had not been expecting any athletes or teams until April.

All museums, gymnasiums, schools, universities, cultural centres, ski resorts and swimming pools will be closed across Lombardy and the 11 provinces. Schools in other regions have been ordered shut until at least next Monday and this may be extended. The public has been told to avoid entering or leaving the quarantined areas, and movement inside the areas is to be minimised to essential work reasons only.

In the two weeks since Italy ­reported its first case of coronavirus, the country has experienced a huge hit to its economy, with tourism at a standstill and the numbers of people suffering the virus rocketing to 5883. There have been 233 deaths, many of them elderly, and predominantly males suffering underlying health issues.

“We will win this battle if our citizens adopt a responsible attitude and change their way of living,” the head of Italy’s civil protection agency, Angelo Borrelli, said.

News of the collapse of the hotel in China came as the spread of COVID-19 continues to slow in China. According to data from the National Health Commission, cases fell more than half on Saturday from the day before.

The agency confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 as the end of Saturday, a fall from 99 the previous day.

China, where the virus first emerged in December, has confirmed more than 80,600 cases, by far the most in the world. Another 27 deaths were reported on Saturday, bringing the total to 3097.

The fall comes as Chinese cities gradually relax quarantine measures put in place over a month ago, while authorities keep a close watch on the virus’s spread overseas. Of the 44 new confirmed cases, 41 were discovered in Wuhan, the origin of the virus’s outbreak and its hotbed. The ­remaining three were cases imported from outside mainland China.

 In the US, a cruise ship hit by the virus was given permission to dock, while New York announced a state of emergency as confirmed cases across the country surged past 400.

The virus has already spread to 30 US states, killing at least 19 ­people, while Washington DC ­announced its first case.

The Grand Princess cruise ship off San Francisco has recorded 21 COVID-19 infections on board out of 45 people tested.

Iran added another 49 to its death toll, bringing the count to 194 amid 6566 confirmed cases in the Islamic republic.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Formula One race this month will be run without spectators over fears about the virus.

Additional reporting: Reuters, AP, AFP