Italy blocks Northern regions – the backbone of the economy

The Italian government takes extraordinary step of blocking whole regions in the North of the country, limiting the movement of a quarter of the population in the rapid efforts to combat the coronavirus, which was not seen outside of China.

“We are faced with an emergency, national emergency situation, “—said the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, announcing the government decision at a press conference after 2am.

This step is tantamount to a donation of the Italian economy in the short term to save her from the ravages of the virus in the long term. These measures will transform the North of Italy — including economic and cultural capital of Milan and important tourist destinations like Venice — in the red zone, quarantined, at least until April 3. They will impede the free movement of some 16 million people.

Funerals and cultural events is prohibited. A new government decree requires maintain a distance of one meter, including sporting events, bars and supermarkets.

An outbreak of coronavirus in Italy, which was already the strongest in Europe and the worst outside Asia, has caused serious damage to one of the most fragile economies of the continent and led to the closure of Italian schools.

According to the Italian authorities and the world health organization, this week the number of cases in Italy have more than doubled — from 2,500 Wednesday to more than 5,800 on Saturday, the death rate rose by 36 to 233.