Italy on Wednesday shut all stores except for pharmacies and food shops in a desperate bid to halt the spread of a coronavirus that has killed 827 in the the country in just over two weeks.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the latest wave of restrictions in a dramatic appeal to the nation that came with the country of 60 million battling its biggest crisis in generations.

"Thank you to all Italians who make sacrifices. We are proving to be a great nation," Conte said in his nine-minute evening prime time address to the nation.

Italians have watched ever tighter restrictions slowly eat away at the very fabric of everyday life.

An existing clampdown on public gathering and basic travel had already emptied streets and shuttered everything from churches to restaurants.

AFP photographers spotted masked sanitation workers in white nylon suits and rubber gloves spraying Florence's deserted Saint Mark's Square with disinfectant through a long hose.

Cathedrals posted hand-written notes cancelling mass and cafes apologised to their regulars for having to turn them away.

"I can't even recognise Rome now," 30-year-old Muscovite Yekaterina said while posing alone for a photo by the usually bustling Trevi Fountain in the heart of Rome.

Conte said the closure of nearly everything that had remained open would run for at least two weeks.

How Italians will get by in the meantime is not entirely clear.

"All shops will be closed except for basic necessities, such as pharmacies and food stores," said Conte.

"Bars, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and canteen services will close. Home delivery is allowed."

"No need to rush to buy groceries," he stressed.

- Cash injection -

Conte's announcement came hours after his government promised to spend up to 25 billion euros ($28 billion) to fight a disease that has put hospitals and the economy under intense strain.

The size of Rome's rescue was the same as one the European Union announced for the entire 27-nation bloc Monday.

Italy's Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said half the money would be used immediately and the other half stowed away and tapped should the health crisis spiral out of control.

Part of the government's cash injection is meant to help small businesses that are suffering the brunt of an implosion in the number of tourists who visit Italy's art-filled churches and achingly beautiful hills.

The government also put more meat on the bones of an emerging plan to let families temporarily suspend some mortgage and social tax payments.

Gualtieri said "partial state guarantees" were being discussed to help Italy's creaking banks survive a resulting cash crunch.

- Total shutdown -

Italy has witnessed nearly 60 percent of the deaths recorded outside China since the epidemic first started spreading from the Asian giant's central Hubei province in January.

The government responded to the outbreak last month by quarantining 50,000 people in 11 villages that were worst affected in the north.

That was followed on Sunday with social distancing measures in Milan's Lombardy region and surrounding areas in which more than 15 million live and 40 percent of the nation's economic activity occurs.

The Lombardy measures were extended to all Italy on Tuesday morning.

Conte's announcement Wednesday ratcheted the restrictions up another notch.

The multitude of measures have had a profound and slightly surreal effect on Italian life.

The central streets of Rome were deserted on Wednesday evening and buses that are usually crammed with commuters ran almost empty.

Tourists have essentially disappeared and the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square has closed to all but those who want to enter the basilica to pray under its soaring dome overlooking Rome.

People have been told to keep at least a metre (three feet) from each other and handshakes are frowned upon. Italians have found themselves starting to talk to each other a few steps apart -- while often laughing about the regulations along the way.

"As soon as the emergency has passed, we will organise a free carbonara day for doctors, nurses and healthcare workers," a closing note by a restaurant in Rome's popular Trastevere neighbourhood said.

Europe ramps up virus response as infections rise
Rome (AFP) March 11, 2020 - European nations on Wednesday shut schools and universities and slapped more restrictions on travel, sporting and cultural events over the surging coronavirus outbreak, as more countries announced deaths from the epidemic.

The number of cases across the globe has risen to more than 118,000 with close to 4,300 deaths, including a jump in fatalities in Iran and Italy in particular, according to an AFP tally.

Millions of people in Italy, which remains at the centre of Europe's outbreak, are grappling with a nationwide clampdown that has emptied streets, shuttered shops and disrupted train and air travel.

The government vowed to spend up to 25 billion euros ($28 billion) to help contain the fallout from the epidemic, including cash injections for hard-hit hotels and restaurants and allowing families to suspend some mortgage payments.

And signs of a widening European crisis began to appear, with Albania, Belgium, Sweden and Bulgaria registering their first deaths and Spain confirming a jump in cases by a quarter to more than 2,000.

Even places with no significant outbreaks like Poland and Ukraine announced school closures and other restrictive measures, and Austria said it would shut museums and halt train services to and from Italy.

In the Middle East, Iran reported 63 new deaths, its highest single-day toll. It has yet to impose quarantines but has closed schools, universities and hotels and called on people not to travel.

Offering a sliver of hope to the rest of the world, China again announced negligible new daily infections and only a relatively small number of deaths.

Some businesses in China's Hubei province -- where the virus was first detected in December -- were told they could restart work, reducing fears of a prolonged disruption of supply chains.

However, China remains the worst-affected country with more than 80,000 confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths.

More than 60,000 Chinese people have been cured, though, meaning countries with newer outbreaks were rapidly approaching illness levels on a par with China -- for example, Iran confirmed another spike in cases taking its total past 9,000.

Although Panama confirmed its first death on Tuesday, Latin America -- along with Africa and Oceania -- has so far reported only small numbers of cases.

- 'It makes people nervous' -

Italy's lockdown, unprecedented in western Europe, stops people from moving around or leaving the country unless they have a valid medical, family or work reason.

"There are no clients; lots of colleagues are already staying at home with nothing to do," 59-year-old Milan taxi driver Daniele said.

Despite the improving situation in China, officials imposed new measures, decreeing that all international arrivals in Beijing must undergo two weeks of quarantine.

And the United States saw its first signs of an emergency footing with the New York city government forming a containment zone around a suburb at the centre of an outbreak.

Officials insisted the measures were designed to facilitate self-quarantine rather than isolate the area, but some locals were unconvinced.

"It makes people nervous to be around others, it makes people nervous to get inside into businesses and such," Miles Goldberg, who runs a bar in the suburb of New Rochelle, told AFP.

- Trump plan flounders -

Disruption to supply chains from China, flagging demand and wildly fluctuating stock markets have sparked a series of profit warnings from companies and pushed governments into action.

The UK promised a $39 billion fiscal stimulus and the central bank slashed its main interest rate to 0.25 percent following a similar move by the US Federal Reserve last week, intended to make borrowing cheaper and boost economic activity.

US President Donald Trump has promised "major" stimulus measures, most likely including tax cuts, but after bruising negotiations with sceptical lawmakers he has so far failed to provide further detail.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the plan was the president's "number one priority", adding that Trump would meet bank bosses Wednesday.

However, Wall Street stocks tumbled after a survey showed that nearly three-quarters of American firms have suffered supply disruptions.

Questions remain over the US handling of the virus on the ground -- the number of infections almost doubled Tuesday to top 1,000 after faulty test kits had helped the illness to spread without being detected.

The latest lightning rod for criticism was the evacuation of virus-hit cruise ship the Grand Princess, with sharp differences emerging between national and state officials and passengers complaining of a lack of information.

- Motor-racing scare -

COVID-19 continued to rip up the schedules of musicians, sports stars and cultural figures as governments around the world banned large gatherings.

England's top-flight football league saw its first cancellation with Wednesday's match between Arsenal and Manchester City postponed after players from the London club were put into quarantine.

Motor racing reported a scare, with two members of the Haas Formula One team isolating themselves before the Australian Grand Prix after showing symptoms.

Japan -- where this year's Olympic Games are due to be held -- was forced to scale back commemorations of the ninth anniversary of the killer tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, cancelling the annual public ceremony.

"It's time to take every possible measure to prevent the spread of infections in our country," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Elsewhere in Asia, the Philippines called off crucifixion reenactments, a tourist spectacle usually held on Good Friday.

Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China's Xi pays first visit to virus epicentre Wuhan
Wuhan, China (AFP) March 10, 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan Tuesday for the first time since the city emerged as the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic in January - a major sign that officials believe the outbreak is under control. Xi's visit came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks. China's progress stands in stark contrast with the growing ... read more