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COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy

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2020 Northern Italy coronavirus lockdowns
Provinces under quarantine since 8 March
Location
Northern Italy:
All of Lombardy, parts of Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Marche
Caused by2019–20 coronavirus outbreak
GoalsQuarantine the epicentre of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Lombardy
MethodsControl of movement in and out of the affected area, banning of public events
Resulted inAbout 16 million people quarantined in Lombardy and 14 other provinces

On 8 March 2020, the government of Italy imposed a quarantine on the region of Lombardy and fourteen neighbouring provinces in Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Marche, in response to the growing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 in the country. This had followed a smaller-scale lockdown of eleven municipalities in the province of Lodi that had begun by late February. The larger lockdowns affect over sixteen million people in the new zone, forbidding their entry or exit without emergency circumstances under the penalty of fines and imprisonment of up to three months, with additional restrictions included on public activities and travel between the impacted areas.[1]

This measure was described as the largest lockdown in the history of Europe,[2][3] as well as the most aggressive response taken in any region beyond China, and paralysed the wealthiest parts of the country as Italy attempted to constrain the rapid spread of the disease.[4][5]

Background

Main article: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Italy

Following the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 which started in Wuhan, Hubei, China, Italy first confirmed cases of the disease on 30 January 2020, when it detected the virus on two Chinese tourists visiting Italy.[6] A third case was confirmed on 7 February, the patient being an Italian man evacuated from Wuhan.[7] The number of confirmed cases jumped on 21 February, when sixteen people in Lombardy and Veneto were confirmed to be infected.[8] Following the first two deaths of people with the virus, several towns in Lombardy was placed in a lockdown due to the large number of infected patients in the region.[9] Before the lockdown, 7,375 cases and 366 deaths were confirmed in Italy.[10]

Lockdowns

Initial

Quarantined municipalities prior to the zone's expansion

The first lockdowns began around 21 February 2020, covering eleven municipalities of the province of Lodi and affecting around 50,000 people.[11] The epicentre was the town of Codogno (pop. 16,000), with police cars blocking roads leading to the quarantined areas and barriers erected on the roads.[12] The quarantined "red zone" (zona rossa) was initially enforced by police and carabinieri,[13] and by 27 February it was reported that 400 policemen were enforcing it with 35 checkpoints. The lockdown was initially meant to last until 6 March. While residents were permitted to leave their homes and supplies such as food and medicine were allowed to enter, they were not to go to school or their workplaces, and public gatherings were prohibited.[14] Train services also bypassed the region.[15]

Expansion

Early on Sunday, 8 March 2020, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the expansion of the quarantine zone to cover much of Northern Italy (see section below for details), affecting over sixteen million people, restricting travel from, to or within the affected areas, banning funerals and cultural events, and requiring people to keep at least one metre of distance from one another in public locations such as restaurants, churches and supermarkets.[16] Conte later clarified in a press conference that the decree was not an "absolute ban", and that people would still be able to use trains and planes to and from the region for "proven work needs, emergencies, or health reasons".[17] Additionally, tourists from outside were still permitted to leave the area.[18]

Restaurants and cafes were permitted to open, but operations were limited to between 6 AM and 6 PM, while many other public locations such as gyms, night clubs, museums and swimming pools were closed altogether.[19] Businesses were ordered to implement "smart working processes" to permit their employees to work from home.[20] The decree, in effect until 3 April, additionally cancelled any leave for medical workers, and allowed the government to impose fines or up to three months' jail for people caught leaving or entering the affected zone without permission.[20][21] The decree also implemented restrictions on public gatherings elsewhere across Italy.[22] With this decree, the initial "Red Zone" was also abolished (though the municipalities were still within the quarantined area).[23]

The lockdown measures implemented by Italy was considered the most radical measure implemented against the outbreak, outside of the lockdown measures implemented in China.[19] At the time of the decree, over 5,800 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed in Italy, with 233 dead.[21] A draft of the decree had been leaked to the media late on Saturday night before it went into effect and was published by Corriere della Sera,[24] resulting in panic within the to-be-quarantined areas and prompting reactions from politicians in the region.[16] La Repubblica reported that hundreds of people in Milan rushed out to leave the city in the last trains in Saturday night, as a part of a rush in general to leave the red zone.[25] However, within hours of the decree being signed, media outlets reported that relatively little had changed, with trains and planes still operating to and from the region, with restaurants and cafes operating normally.[26] BBC reported that some flights to Milan continued on 8 March, though several were cancelled.[19] New guidelines for the coronavirus had assigned the responsibility of deciding whether to suspend flights to local judiciaries.[24]

Affected areas

Provinces under quarantine, 8 March[27]
Province Region Start date Population
Alessandria Piedmont 8 March 2020 420,017
Asti Piedmont 8 March 2020 214,342
Bergamo Lombardy 8 March 2020 1,115,536
Brescia Lombardy 8 March 2020 1,265,954
Como Lombardy 8 March 2020 599,204
Cremona Lombardy 8 March 2020 358,955
Lecco Lombardy 8 March 2020 337,380
Lodi Lombardy 8 March 2020 230,198
Mantua Lombardy 8 March 2020 411,958
Milan Lombardy 8 March 2020 3,263,206
Modena Emilia-Romagna 8 March 2020 705,422
Monza and Brianza Lombardy 8 March 2020 875,769
Novara Piedmont 8 March 2020 368,607
Padua Veneto 8 March 2020 938,957
Parma Emilia-Romagna 8 March 2020 452,022
Pavia Lombardy 8 March 2020 545,888
Pesaro and Urbino Marche 8 March 2020 358,886
Piacenza Emilia-Romagna 8 March 2020 287,152
Reggio Emilia Emilia-Romagna 8 March 2020 531,891
Rimini Emilia-Romagna 8 March 2020 339,437
Sondrio Lombardy 8 March 2020 180,811
Treviso Veneto 8 March 2020 888,293
Varese Lombardy 8 March 2020 890,768
Venice Veneto 8 March 2020 857,841
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Piedmont 8 March 2020 157,844
Vercelli Piedmont 8 March 2020 170,298
Quarantine total 16,466,636

The locked down area, as of 8 March 2020, covered the entirety of the region of Lombardy, in addition to fourteen provinces in Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Marche. This area included the cities of Milan and Venice, and is comprised of three separate areas (around Lombardy, around Venice, and another zone surrounding San Marino). The affected area is populated by over sixteen million people, roughly a quarter of the Italian population.[28] Quarantines covered an area of approximately 56,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi).[26]

Impact

Economic

The New York Times Rome bureau chief Jason Horowitz referred to the expanded lockdown as "sacrificing the Italian economy in the short term to save it from the ravages of the virus in the long term", with Milan considered the country's economic and cultural capital while Venice was one of its most important tourist destinations.[16] The regions of Lombardy and Veneto produced a third of the Italian gross domestic product.[25]

Prior to the quarantine's expansion, the Italian economy was already forecasted to enter a recession due to the impact of the outbreak, with the tourism and luxury goods sector being particularly hard-hit by a reduction of travel.[29] The impact of the wider quarantine is predicted to bring the European economy as a whole into a recession, and will disrupt supply chains to, for example, German car manufacturers like Volkswagen.[30]

The FTSE MIB, Italy's benchmark stock index, fell 11 percent on 9 March when the market reopened.[31]

Reactions

Domestic

Both Attilio Fontana, the President of Lombardy, and Luca Zaia, the President of Veneto, criticised the quarantine measures, with Fontana requesting better clarification regarding the quarantine from the central government while Zaia opposed it altogether.[32] President of Emilia-Romagna Stefano Bonaccini called the decree "confusing" and requested the central government take more time to develop a "coherent" solution.[33] Maurizio Rasero, mayor of the quarantined municipality of Asti, posted a video on his Facebook page complaining about the sudden announcement of the quarantine, of which he was not informed about beforehand.[34] The decree was also criticised by local business leaders, who claimed that the decree did not have sufficient clarifications on the details of the quarantine.[35]

On the other hand, Novara's mayor Alessandro Canelli mentioned that he was surprised by the initial information he received that his province would not be part of the quarantine zone, and had requested for Novara's inclusion due to its significant transport links with Milan.[36] President of Marche Luca Ceriscioli agreed to the measures though he mentioned a need for more participation from the impacted territories.[37]

Responding to the thousands of people who evacuated from Lombardy just before the quarantine was put in place, police officers and medics met passengers from Lombardy in Salerno, Campania, and the passengers were required to self-quarantine. Michele Emiliano, President of Apulia, required all arrivals from northern Italy to self-quarantine.[24] Similarly, Jole Santelli, President of Calabria, called for Calabrians living in northern Italy to not return home during the outbreak, and for the government to "block an exodus to Calabria".[31]

Residents

In the initial quarantine, a special radio station (Radio Zona Rossa, or "Radio Red Zone") was setup for residents of the Codogno quarantine area, broadcasting updates on the quarantine situation, interviews with authorities, and government information. Catholic sermons were also broadcast through the radio.[38]

International

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, praised Italy's decision to implement the lockdown, stating that the Italian people and government were "making genuine sacrifices" with these "bold, courageous steps".[19]

References

  1. ^ CNN, Tara John and Ben Wedeman. "Italy prohibits travel and cancels all public events in its northern region to contain coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved 9 March 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ On Day 1 of Broad Lockdown, a Debate Arises: Can Italians Follow the Rules?
  3. ^ Lyons, Kim (7 March 2020). "Italy locks down northern region in response to coronavirus outbreak". The Verge. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  4. ^ Horowitz, Jason (7 March 2020). "Italy Locks Down Much of the Country's North Over the Coronavirus". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  5. ^ To contain coronavirus, Italy will restrict movement across much of its northern region, including the city of Milan, Washington Post, Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, 7 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Two first coronavirus cases confirmed in Italy: prime minister". Reuters. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Italy reports third confirmed case of coronavirus". Anadolu Agency. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Factbox: Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond". Reuters. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. ^ Bruno, Luca; Winfield, Nicole (22 February 2020). "Italian towns on lockdown after 2 virus deaths, clusters". CTV News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. ^ Coronavirus, isolate Lombardia e 14 province. 6387 positivi, 622 guariti, 366 vittime
  11. ^ "What towns in Italy are on lockdown because of coronavirus?". Metro. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  12. ^ Lowen, Mark (25 February 2020). "Lockdown in northern Italy as virus fears soar". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Si chiude la "zona rossa": 43 varchi tra Lodi e Padova presiediati da 500 uomini". La Stampa (in Italian). 23 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  14. ^ Johnson, Miles; Davide, Ghiglione (28 February 2020). "Italy under lockdown: 'My town is shocked and scared'". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  15. ^ Cighetti, Roberto (26 February 2020). "What Happens When Your Town Gets Put on Coronavirus Lockdown". Vice News. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Horowitz, Jason (8 March 2020). "Italy Locks Down Much of the Country's North Over the Coronavirus". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Fuga da Milano, centinaia in stazione per andare via prima che sia zona rossa". Il Riformista (in Italian). 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Coronavirus outbreak: Italy, 2nd only to China in virus cases, announces sweeping quarantine". Chicago Tribune. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d "Coronavirus: Northern Italy quarantines 16 million people". BBC News. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Italy imposes region-wide coronavirus quarantine in Lombardy". Deutsche Welle. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  21. ^ a b Davidson, Helen; Tondo, Lorenzo; Yu, Verna (8 March 2020). "Coronavirus: quarter of Italy's population put in quarantine as virus reaches Washington DC". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  22. ^ Regan, Helen (8 March 2020). "Italy announces lockdown as global coronavirus cases surpass 105,000". CNN. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  23. ^ Severgnini, Chiara (8 March 2020). "Coronavirus, Conte: «Ecco il decreto con le nuove misure, in vigore fino al 3 aprile»". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Giuffrida, Angela; Tondo, Lorenzo (8 March 2020). "Leaked coronavirus plan to quarantine 16m sparks chaos in Italy". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  25. ^ a b Bertelli, Michele (8 March 2020). "Italy quarantines 16 million people over coronavirus fears". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Italy's drastic containment rules doesn't seem to have changed life much". Bloomberg News. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Coronavirus, chiusa la Lombardia e altre 11 province". La Repubblica (in Italian). 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  28. ^ "To contain coronavirus, Italy will restrict movement across much of its northern region, including the city of Milan". Washington Post. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  29. ^ "Weakened Italian economy forecast to take major hit from virus outbreak". ITV News. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  30. ^ Landler, Mark (8 March 2020). "Europe, With Eye on Italy Coronavirus Quarantine, Plans Next Moves". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  31. ^ a b Ellyatt, Holly (9 March 2020). "Italy's massive coronavirus quarantine provokes panic; stock markets tank 11%". CNBC. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  32. ^ Ghiglione, Davide; Politi, James (8 March 2020). "Italy locks down entire region of Lombardy". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  33. ^ "Italy announces quarantine affecting quarter of population". CNBC. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  34. ^ Kageyama, Yuri; D'Emilio, Frances (8 March 2020). "Travel chaos erupts as Italy quarantines north to halt virus". AP. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Novara in zona rossa, la paura dell'industria: "Decreto generico. Non lasciateci nell'incertezza" - La Stampa". La Stampa (in Italian). 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  36. ^ "Coronavirus, Zaia chiede a Governo stralcio 'zona rossa'". ANSA (in Italian). 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Ceriscioli,visto mezz'ora dpcm,misure ok". ANSA (in Italian). 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  38. ^ Oddone, Elisa (5 March 2020). "'Good morning, Codogno!': A coronavirus radio station in Italy". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

See also

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