Italy to adopt new draconian steps to fight coronavirus: draft decree

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: Reuters

The Italian government will adopt new tough measures to try to contain the spread of coronavirus, including telling people not to enter or leave the hardest-hit region of Lombardy, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters.

So far only a few limited areas of northern Italy, known as “red zones”, have been quarantined, but in a dramatic escalation the draft tells people not to enter or leave Lombardy or 11 provinces in other regions.

The legislation is expected to be approved later on Saturday, the head of the civil protection agency said earlier, after the number of infections rose by more than 1,200 in the last 24 hours.

In all the areas covered by the decree, including towns in the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont, schools will be closed at least until April 3, all museums, gyms and swimming pools will be also shut and leave is canceled for all health care workers.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-measures/italy-to-adopt-new-draconian-steps-to-fight-coronavirus-draft-decree-idUSKBN20U0VT

[Journeyman]

1. Similar to what China implemented. Wonder how such a "decree" would be met here in the States . . .

[NickB79]

2. With gunfire, most likely

The gun nuts would lose their minds.

[dewsgirl]

8. I don't know, a lot of them are preppers, some are all over

this and realize the severity of the situation.


It makes me feel dirty to defend them.

[NickB79]

14. I'm on a lot of prepper groups

Mostly due to my concern over the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

Prepper are evenly split right now between the ones taking it seriously, and the ones who think it's a hoax by the government to declare marshal law and take their stuff.

[dewsgirl]

15. I've noticed the ones that were paying attention a month ago,

were all serious, as more have been added to the mix, now I am seeing some that believe it is a hoax. Before they seemed split on the biowarfare topic, I have never paid attention to peppers before, when they believe in something, they go all in.

[htuttle]

3. Since he's been calling it a 'hoax'? It wouldn't even get started.

[Journeyman]

4. Putting aside Trump as President, how would the American people react to such a restriction? . . .

[durablend]

6. Like poster above said, with a hail of gunfire

[Journeyman]

7. I've wondered about this ever since the rumor floated in the mid-'70s that China . . .

had evacuated a city full of people before an earthquake hit. Living in Southern California, I was bemused by the thought of the government trying to move any substantial number of people. Never mind that the infrastructure wouldn't support it, and we'd have nowhere to go once we left the city (huddle in the Mojave Desert, waiting for the shaking to stop?), I've been unable to wrap my mind around something like this being accomplished.

And even if possible, were a quake not to hit, there'd be no possibility of a repeat in the future. Same with a virus shutdown. If it proved anything less than catastrophic, any future efforts -- no matter how benign -- would be met with incredible resistance.

[totodeinhere]

10. There were strict restrictions on many facets of life during WWII and the people handled it

just fine. Whether we will handle it now I don't know.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Harsh medicine now is better than a larger problem later /nt

[LiberalArkie]

9. The peppers have already begun stocking up their deer camps, etc. Waiting for Covid-19 to

hit central Arkansas

[bpositive]

11. Horses kind of

Left the barn already, eh?

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. Before COVID-19 was in the US my boss offered setting me up

to work from home. I told him I preferred to come into the office, but now I'm having second thoughts. Maybe I should take him up on his offer.

[brooklynite]

13. Here's a map of the exclusion zone...

Link to tweet

[Eugene]

16. Leaked coronavirus plan to quarantine 16m sparks chaos in Italy

Source: The Guardian

Leaked coronavirus plan to quarantine 16m sparks chaos in Italy

Thousands tried to flee south after decree to confine people until 3 April was revealed

Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo
Sun 8 Mar 2020 15.54 GMT
Last modified on Mon 9 Mar 2020 07.50 GMT

Italy experienced its highest day-on-day rise in deaths from coronavirus on Sunday and was plunged into chaos after details of a plan to quarantine more than 16 million people were leaked to the press, sending thousands into panic as they tried to flee.

The whole of Lombardy, including the financial capital of Milan, and 14 provinces across the worst-affected northern regions, have been shut down until 3 April as Italy grapples to contain the spread of a virus as deaths rose from 233 to 366, a rise of more than 50% in 24 hours, with the total number of cases so far at 7,375.

Thousands crowded train stations or jumped into their cars after a draft decree banning people from leaving or entering the region was revealed by Corriere della Sera late on Saturday afternoon.

In Italy’s south dozens of police officers and medics wearing masks and hazmat suits waited in Salerno, Campania, for passengers who had boarded overnight trains from Lombardy as fears mount over the virus’s potential spread.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/08/leaked-coronavirus-plan-to-quarantine-16m-sparks-chaos-in-italy