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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)
Novel coronavirus sparks total lockdown in Italy.
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.
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a restaurant closed ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a restaurant closed ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
A worker closes a cafe ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak in Rome, Italy, on March 10, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy. (Xinhua)
Few visitors are seen at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, on March 10, 2020. (Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows closed shops near the Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy. (Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a restaurant closed ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
A man wearing a face mask walks past the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on March 10, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a closed fitness center in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
People buy vegetables and fruits at a market in Rome, Italy, March 10, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a closed aquatics center in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a view of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a view of the Via dei Condotti street in Rome, Italy. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a view of the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
