Coronavirus: Italy to close cinemas, theatres and ban public events
Source: Irish Times
Italy’s government is set to close cinemas and theatres and ban public events countrywide in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak, according to a draft decree drawn up on Wednesday. The decree orders “the suspension of events of any nature . . . that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre to be respected.”
The draft decree also tells Italians to avoid hugging and shaking hands to prevent as much as possible a further spread of the potentially deadly illness which has been mainly concentrated in the country’s northern regions. Earlier on Wednesday the government decided to close schools and universities across the country until mid-March in a further attempt to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe.
The country’s Ansa news agency reported that the government had already shuttered schools and universities in the worst-affected regions in northern Italy some 10 days ago and quarantined a handful of towns at the epicentre of the outbreak. However, the contagion has spread, with at least 79 people dying and more than 2,500 infected. The wider measure, also applying to pre-schools, will come into force on Thursday and could affect up to 8.7 million children and students.
Read more: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/coronavirus-italy-to-close-cinemas-theatres-and-ban-public-events-1.4192416
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