Virus locks down Italy amid global push to contain outbreak

The boisterous hum of Rome dwindled to a whisper and police patrols kept people apart in cafes as Italy enforced an extraordinary, sweeping lockdown in hopes of not becoming the next epicentre of the spreading coronavirus epidemic now that life in China is edging back to normal.

Infections in Italy topped the 10,000 mark more than anywhere but China and the number of deaths from the virus rose Tuesday to 631 from 463 a day earlier, Italian Civil Protection authorities said.

Police across the country patrolled cafes to ensure owners kept customers 1 metre (3 feet) apart during daylight hours and then enforced a strict 6 pm closure order.

"It's bad. People are terrorised," said Massimo Leonardo, who runs a market stall.

"I've never seen anything like it."
But in China, the diminishing threat prompted President Xi Jinping to visit the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, on Tuesday and declare: "We will certainly defeat this epidemic."