Mr Conte added the government was doing all it could to contain the virus, noting that the nation’s health
service risked being overwhelmed due to the high number of infected people.
Schools and universities in the worst affected regions of northern Italy, where a handful of towns have been
quarantined, had already closed 10 days ago. But the outbreak has since spread to infect more than 3,000
people across the country – with more than 500 cases announced in 24 hours.
The government is set to close cinemas and theatres and ban public events across the country, according to
a draft decree drawn up yesterday. The decree, seen by Reuters, 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 1m (yard) to
be respected”. It also tells Italians to avoid hugging and shaking hands in the hope of limiting the spread of
coronavirus.
The Italian sports minister has said all Serie A football matches are likely to be played behind closed doors
for the next month as part of efforts to stem the epidemic. “We are heading towards that decision,” sports
minister Vincenzo Spadafora told reporters when asked if the government was planning to ban fans from
attending games.
Italy has become the European epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak after seeing an explosion of cases
since its first patient tested positive on 19 February. In the early days of the outbreak, officials closed
schools in Lombardy and Veneto, two of the hardest hit regions. Over the weekend, schools in Emilia-
Romagna were also told to shut.