I taly is set to impose a virtual lockdown on its wealthiest and most populous region, which includes the financial capital Milan, as part of tough new measures to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The new rules include telling people not to enter or leave Lombardy, which is home to some 19 million people, as well as 11 provinces in four of Italy’s 24 other regions, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters.
All museums, gyms, cultural centers, ski resorts and swimming pools will be shut in the targeted areas, according to the decree, which was due to come into force from Sunday but was delayed after local politicians asked for more time to review the restrictions.
The head of the civil protection agency said on Saturday the decree would be presented later in the day, after data showed the number of coronavirus infections jumped by more than 1, 200 in the past 24 hours.
However, at midnight Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had still not signed off on it, after the leaked draft prompted pushback from the governors of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, another region affected.
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