Italy imposes widespread quarantine

The Italian government has quarantined roughly 16 million people in the northern half of the country for the next month. COVID-19 has killed at least 366 people in the country, which has the highest death toll from the disease caused by the new coronavirus outside of China.

Which cities are affected? After the country saw its biggest one-day jump in COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a quarantine decree for areas of northern Italy, including the financial hubs of Milan and Venice. Until the lockdown expires on April 3, people will need permission to travel outside of their cities. When a draft of the quarantine leaked to news media on Saturday, many tried to escape the affected areas. The fate of foreign visitors stuck in Italy’s new quarantine zones is unclear.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift about how the virus is affecting global events.