All stores, except pharmacies and food outlets, will close in Italy (Picture: PA)

Authorities in Italy have announced that all stores except pharmacies and food outlets will close in response to the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

So-far, 827 people have died from Covid-19 inside Italy, whereas 12,462 have been infected with the virus in the country.

Today Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte thanked the public for cooperating with the already unprecedented travel and social restrictions that took effect this week, but said the nation needed to ‘go another step’ further.

In a Facebook Live, he announced that only pharmacies, groceries and stores selling ‘essential items’ will remain open to the public.


The extreme measure comes just after the entire country was placed on lock-down on Tuesday, with citizens not allowed to travel unless for pressing health or work reasons.

It is the latest in a series of serious measures put in place across Italy (Picture: Getty Images)

Many shops have already shut their doors to the public (Picture: IPA)

A man walks by closed Zara store in Rome, Italy (Picture: Getty Images)

Schools, nurseries, universities, museums and cinemas across the nation have also been shut down, while the Italian football league have cancelled all their matches.



Public gatherings, including at weddings, funerals or religious events, are also banned from taking place.

Apple had already announced today that they are shutting all 17 of their stores in Italy, having previously closed all 42 of their stores in mainland China.

Restaurant and bars had previously been allowed to function with a curfew of 6pm and with guests forced to be at least three feet away from each other. It is not yet clear if these establishments will also close as well.

Anyone wishing to move from an area of Italy must fill out an ‘auto-certification’ document, which states why their travel is essential.

More than 820 people have died in Italy (Picture: Getty Images)

Streets in Italy have been almost deserted of people (Picture: AP)

However, they could be arrested if found to be falsely claiming the need to travel for health reasons, with the crime punishable with up to six years.

Anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19 who does not self-isolate also runs the risk of being charged with attempted murder, local media reports.

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The lockdown measures initially applied to the northern Lombardy region, the epicentre of the country’s outbreak, before officials extended the regulations to the rest of the country.

Frightened Italians say they are being ‘terrorised’ by police who are enforcing the new measures, such as keeping distances from one another in public places.

The quarantines rules are the strictest outside of China, where the disease first emerged in Wuhan in December.

However, the World Health Organisation has suggested other countries implement similar draconian measures after it officially declared the outbreak as a pandemic.

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