Bars and shops across Italy were closed on Thursday as tougher restrictions were added to an already severe lockdown aimed to fight coronavirus contagion.
Edward Baran reports.
Milan central station at rush hour.
It's eerily empty, and it's the same situation in many parts of Rome.
Deserted streets telling the story of a country on lockdown.
Now bars and shops across Italy are closed as tougher restrictions have been brought in to fight coronavirus contagion.
In a dramatic televised speech on Wednesday (March 11), Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said all shops would be shuttered except supermarkets, food stores and chemists.
Companies have been told to close all non-essential departments.
On Thursday (March 12) morning, queues of people lined up outside supermarkets waiting to stock up on food.
Limited numbers are allowed inside and people have to keep a one meter distance at all times.
Tourist sites like the Colosseum remain empty.
Confirmed cases of the virus in Italy rose to nearly 12 and a half thousand on Wednesday with 827 deaths.
But on one balcony in Turin, locals struck a note of optimism, with this banner reading "everything will be alright."
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