A quarter of Italy�s population was in lockdown Sunday as the government announced a spike in deaths, with infections soaring past 7,000, overtaking South Korea as the country with the highest number of cases after China. Italy�s COVID-19 death count nearly tripled from 133 to 366 and infections rose by a single-day record from 1,492 to 7,375.
The outbreak has now killed nearly 3,792 people and infected more than 109,000 in 99 countries and territories. Italy�s measures, in place until April 3, bar people from entering or leaving vast areas of the north, according to a decree published online. Sunday saw Rome forced to close its blockbuster exhibition marking 500 years since the death of Renaissance master Raphael.
The head of the southern Puglia region pleaded with anyone thinking of travelling there from areas in lockdown to �stop and turn around � Don�t bring the epidemic to Puglia.� The lockdown, however, does allow for the return home of those who were in the affected areas but live elsewhere, including tourists.
Football matches also took place behind closed doors � Italian Footballers� Association president Damiano Tommasi tweeted that �stopping football is the most useful thing for our country right now� as �the teams to cheer are playing in our hospitals, in emergency rooms.�
Germany, with some 850 declared cases to date, Sunday banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, as did France, where 19 have now died. Greece indicated it would follow the closed door approach to sporting events.
Neighbours Austria and Switzerland said they were monitoring the situation closely with both announcing the suspension of some transport links � though borders remain open. Italy�s quarantine zones are home to more than 15 million people and include the regions around Venice and financial capital Milan. A further ramification of the virus saw inmates revolt at four Italian prisons over new rules introduced to contain the outbreak, including a ban on family visits, prison officers union Osapp said.