Italy recorded 631 coronavirus deaths today, its highest single-day toll to date, pushing the number of fatalities outside China to more than 1,
Overall in Italy, 823 people have died from the COVID – (disease caused by the virus and 
, 149 have been infected in just over two weeks.
Today’s toll raised the number of deaths outside China to 1, 149.
It came as Italy’s transport links with the outside world were thrown into chaos – but not shut down totally – in the wake of the government drastic restrictions on travel to contain the virus.
British Airways cancelled all its Italian flights Tuesday while Air France and low-cost carriers Ryanair, Easyjet and Wizz Air said that they would be scrapping flights from Italian airports until early April.
Air Canada took even more drastic measures, suspending flights to Italy until at least May 1.
The Spanish government said Tuesday that it was suspending all air traffic from Italy for two weeks while Austria said it would introduce new restrictions on arrivals from Italy.
People queuing at an pharmacy to buy face masks to protect against coronavirus in Rome today
However, at Rome’s main Fiumicino airport there were still services running to destinations in Europe and beyond on Tuesday afternoon, as well as to domestic Italian destinations.
Flights were also still taking off from the smaller Ciampino airport, used mostly by low-cost carriers.
Tourists welcomes the remaining opportunities to leave, although they were facing longer stays than anticipated.
‘We are going to be able to go back because we got a text from our flight,’ Mina, a – year-old Indian national, said next to Rome’s deserted Colosseum.
She and her family were awaiting further information from their airline, she said.
The ADR company which runs Rome’s airports said that all arriving passengers and all those heading for destinations outside the Schengen zone ‘will undergo health checks’ and have to go through thermal scanners to try to detect any potential fever.
As for rail travel, mask-wearing police at Rome’s main Termini train station were checking passengers’ reasons for travel and making sure everybody was keeping the recommended distance of one meter away from each other.
But the departures board was showing no sign of any cancellations.
People wearing face masks being checked by the Italian Army and Italian Police at the Termini Central train Station in Rome during the coronavirus emergency today
Empty central Milan today after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday the extending of coronavirus quarantine measures to the entire country
Klemen Gartner, a 58 – year -old seminarian from Slovenia, said that he was trying to get back home, ‘somewhere I can understand the language’.
He said that when station staff realized he was Italian , he was told: ‘You’re foreign? Go, go! ‘ and waved through.
The service for Venice via Florence was only sparsely occupied but running nonetheless, with no checks for passengers on disembarkation at Florence, an AFP journalist reported.
Italy’s rail links with neighbors countries are under more strain, with the Thello company cancelling its night services between Paris and Venice, as well as daytime trains between Milan and Marseille, until early April.
France’s national train company SNCF said on Tuesday it was ‘waiting for advice’ about how to proceed regarding its services to Italy.
Since late February, French staff on cross-border SNCF trains have been getting off before the Italian border and being replaced by Italian colleagues.
Austria’s national OeBB company has implemented similar measures for its staff.
People wearing face masks in Rome today. The Italian government imposed unprecedented national restrictions on its million people to control the spread of the coronavirus
The Trevi Fountain was closed for visitors in Rome today after the lockdown went into force
OeBB has already cancelled its night trains to several Italian cities and said that further changes to its daytime schedules might come in the following days.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s Deutsche Bahn said that the only service it had linking it to Italy, between Munich and Venice, has also been suspended.
On Italy’s road borders the situation seemed more relaxed on Tuesday afternoon.
Cars crossed the frontier with neighbor Slovenia in both directions on Tuesday afternoon, an AFP journalist reported.
Italians in the area around the city of Trieste often make the short journey into Slovenia to do their shopping and buy cheape r fuel.
But late Tuesday, Slovenia’s government announced it would close the border.
Austria said it was putting tough new restrictions on passengers arriving from Italy. On the land border between both countries, Austrian police were reported to be stopping people crossing from Italy to take their temperatures.
The wave of cancelled trips is raising fears for Italy’s tourism sector, which accounts for 13 percent of the country gross domestic product.
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