Italian attractions usually brimming with tourists have been deserted in recent days amid fears of the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Today, the Italian government rolled out a harsh coronavirus containment strategy after the number of deaths spiked by 36 in a single day.
The number of tourists pictured at some of the country's most popular destinations has dwindled as the tally of deaths has risen.
The spike in deaths lifts the number of fatalities to 233 - the highest death rate outside of China, prompting the government to draft in retired doctors to battle the crisis.
Italy has seen the biggest coronavirus outbreak in Europe with 233 deaths and more than 5,883 cases and the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has now put 16 million citizens in the north of the country under a coronavirus lockdown as Democratic party leader Nicola Zingaretti revealed he has also caught the bug.
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The new set of national emergency measures is due to be released tonight, which will ban entry to, and exit from, the entire Lombardy region around Milan to limit the spread of the coronavirus as well as areas around and including Venice and the northern cities of Parma and Rimini.
A draft of the government resolution obtained by Italy's Corriere Della Sera newspaper and other media said movement into and out of the regions would be severely restricted until April 3.
Milan is the Italian financial capital and has a population of just under 1.4 million people.
The entire Lombardy region is home to 10 million.
The government decree also covers parts of the Veneto region around Venice as well as Emilia-Romagna's Parma and Rimini.
Those three cities have a combine population of around 540,000 people.
It was not immediately clear from either the decree or the media reports as to when the measure would go into effect.
The decree, a draft of which was published by La Repubblica this afternoon, will also close shopping centres during the weekend and gyms, swimming pools, museums and ski resorts, among others, all week round.
Civil and religious ceremonies, including funerals, are suspended and schools in the 11 provinces will be shuttered until at least the 3 April.
source : Dailymail
