World News

Italy On Lockdown for Coronavirus

Italy in Chaos After Northern Lockdown Spreads To Country as a Whole

Reporter Tyler Bagent

On March 9th, 2020, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a nationwide quarantine of Italy because of the Coronavirus. This comes after the northern part of the country was subject to a similar lockdown. On March 11th, Italy’s Government announced that 10,000 people have been infected with COVID-19.

Streets have been deserted in Italy, with the PM declaring that all people should only leave their house for “necessities,” like work, healthcare, and other travel. Businesses have been ordered to close by 6pm CET (Central European Time). Public Events have been banned, Heavy Travel Restrictions have been put in place, and closures have been put in place across the country. Schools and other public spaces have been affected by this, including churches. Religious services have been stopped, including those of funerals. According to CNN, Military Police has been deployed across the country to keep these restrictions in effect.

These restrictions, especially the specifically Northern lockdowns, have seen backlash from the Italian people. Train stations have been stormed by thousands of citizens in Lombardy and Veneto, attempting to escape the regions. PM Conte has been accused of mishandling the lockdown, allowing news to spread beforehand of the government order. People report that establishments across the north were emptied of people as the news broke, gathering their things and rushing transport. This prompted leaders of specific provinces to issue decrees of their own, prompting any person coming from the quarantined regions to immediately quarantine themselves. Much political backlash came from this, with mayors criticizing the federal government for not advising them. The PM then proceeded to defend his actions, taking responsibility for any backlash.

As of March 11th, 2020, there have been 121,739 cases of the Coronavirus across the world. This has caused mass hysteria, with no end seemingly in sight.