Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced all of Italy is on lockdown as the country works to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The northern part of the country, which includes 16 million people, had already been on lockdown. The new lockdown goes into effect on Tuesday and lasts until April 3.
Conte said travel within the country should only occur if completely necessary. Public gatherings, like sporting events, are canceled.
“Stay at home,” Conte said in a press conference Monday. People should only travel for urgent work or emergencies, the PM said. Schools and universities will stay closed, as well as theaters and gyms. The government’s decree also calls for banning public events like weddings and funerals.
The country, which has about 60 million people living in it, had over 9,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and at least 463 dead as of Monday.
Italy has the highest death toll outside China, and worldwide there were around 110,000 confirmed cases with over 3,800 dead from COVID-19 as of Monday, per the World Health Organization.
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