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Italy has put all its 60 million people under lockdown. Here's what it looks like on the ground.https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/italy-has-put-all-its-60-million-people-under-lockdown-heres-what-it-looks-like-on-the-ground-/slidelist/74565825.cms2020-03-10T20:36:08+05:30

Italy has put all its 60 million people under lockdown. Here's what it looks like on the ground.

Mar 10, 2020, 20:36 IST

In an unprecedented move, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Monday that the entire country would be placed under lockdown due to coronavirus fears.

The movement of Italy's 60 million-strong population will be severely limited from Tuesday. People can now travel only for emergencies or urgent health situations, both within and out of the country.

Checkpoints on motorways, toll booths, train stations, and airports are also expected to be introduced.

Mass gatherings and all sporting events, including the Serie A league, have been canceled.

All museums and cultural centers have also shut. Italians have also been asked to stay at home and limit social contact as much as possible.

While restaurants and bars are still running, they are only allowed to open between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Those businesses also have to guarantee that customers are at least one meter, or 3.2 feet, apart.

Giorgia, a 19-year-old from Rome, told Business Insider said Italians are sticking to this rule rigorously. This photo from her shows a line forming outside a local pharmacy, with people keeping a considerable distance between each other.

Popular public spaces have also emptied out. This picture was taken near Villa Borghese in Rome on Tuesday, which is an area usually packed with tourists.

Rome's famous Spanish Steps — usually packed with tourists — is also eerily quiet.

The main train station in Reggio Emilia, northern Italy, is usually filled with people traveling to other parts of the country. But on Monday night, it was also looking deserted.

Meanwhile, Italians have been adjusting to their new way of life.

Marta, a 27-year-old from Lombardy region, told Business Insider people had been "panicking" during the early stages of the outbreak, but are now calmer since they know supermarkets will still be open and selling food.

Marta also worries about the country's "struggling" healthcare system. Her mother, a nurse at a local hospital, said there are limited beds in intensive care and that it's been difficult to balance the work between coronavirus and other patients.

Prisons around the country have also been hit hard by the country's coronavirus measures. Inmates across several jails rioted after the country banned or limited family visits, resulting in at least six deaths.

The Italian government said its coronavirus restrictions would last until April 3 — though if the country doesn't turn a corner with the disease by then, the date could well be pushed back.

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