With 10,149 cases, 631 dead and 877 under intensive care Italy is now in total lockdown.
On Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered people to stay home and seek permission for essential travel.
Hugo McCafferty is an Irish freelance Journalist living near Milan and told Colm & Lucy about the measures being taken by the Italian government to contain Covid 19 and the travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll jumped from 366 to 463 on Monday. It is the worst-hit country after China.
The lockdown of Italy means all sporting events – including football matches – are suspended nationwide. Schools and universities will remain closed until 3 April.
The Italian government said only those with a valid work or family reason that cannot be postponed will be allowed to travel. Passengers departing on flights will have to justify themselves, as will all those who arrive by plane.
This is the form you have to fill out with your details and the reason for you leaving your house. If you go out, you will be stopped by the police or military and you'd better have one of these. #COVID2019italia #COVID19 #iorestoacasa pic.twitter.com/asSpco5Bq0
— Hugo McCafferty (@HugoMcCafferty) March 9, 2020
Hugo is a journalist from Dublin but has lived in Italy for more than 13 years on and off and can call himself a certified Italophile.
With over 20 years journalism under his belt he has covered a wide range of subjects from news, to politics, design, fashion, sport, history, tech and of course food. He looks for the cultural threads in a subject that tie us all together and looks for wider meaning in the local stories.
Hugo reports on Italy’s complex society and politics and is published by The Times, Irish Independent, Al Jazeera, Swide and more. Hugo is also passionate about food and drink’s ability to bring people from different backgrounds and viewpoints together and spends his free time trying to simplify his life, reduce his carbon footprint and appreciate the small things.
You can read more of his work here: finedininglovers.com
