Italy Extends Quarantine To Entire Country
[guest post by Dana]
Italy extends its quarantine:
Italy is extending its strict coronavirus quarantine measures, which include a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that people would only be permitted to travel for work or family emergencies.
He said the measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, were to defend the most fragile members of society.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll jumped on Monday by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country after China
In a televised address on Monday, Mr Conte said that the best thing for the citizens of Italy was to stay at home.
He added that all sporting events – including football matches – were being suspended nationwide.
The restrictions are similar to those earlier applied to the worst affected Lombardy region, and 14 other provinces.
Rioting ensued after prison inmates were informed that visitors were banned from facilities in quarantined northern Italy:
Inmates rioted and overran a number of prisons in Italy on Monday, escaping their facilities and kidnapping officers, as the ripple effects of a drastic coronavirus lockdown in the country’s north started to take hold.
Riots took place in 22 prisons after visitors were banned in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Justice Ministry said in a statement. Multiple inmates have died in the riots, and some continue to occupy their facilities, even reaching the roof in some cases.
The chaotic scenes come after Italy’s interior ministry announced severe penalties for any Italians who attempt to flee the lockdown in the north.
Anyone leaving the “containment regions” risks three months in prison, or a fine of up to 206 euros ($234), Luciana Lamorgese said.
–Dana