Some residents whose villages are under lockdown feel that they’re being sacrificed for the greater good, just as some countries around the world are trying to protect themselves from Italy.

And in Milan, Lombardy’s capital, some Catholics are questioning whether the cancellation of Mass, a sacred ritual of Italian life, is worth the spiritual cost.

“I’m not an epidemiologist,” said the founder of a Catholic group close to Pope Francis, “but do we really find ourselves faced with such a great risk that we renounce our common religious life?”

What’s happening: There are more than 87,000 coronavirus cases in at least 60 countries, including the United States, where the virus has killed two people and may have been spreading undetected in some communities for weeks. New York City confirmed its first case on Sunday.

Catch up: Here are the latest updates on the virus, and maps of where it has spread.

Another angle: China’s authoritarian government is rolling out mandatory smartphone software that dictates whether a person should be quarantined. But a Times analysis found that the system appears to share information with the police — a new template for automated social control that could persist long after the epidemic subsides.