Coronavirus: Rome 'eerily quiet' as lockdown takes hold in Italian capital
Rome's streets are becoming increasingly deserted as emergency measures are extended to the whole of Italy.
Tuesday 10 March 2020 10:06, UK
With a clear blue AG百家乐在线官网 and the spring sunshine on their faces the small number of tourists outside Rome's Colosseum were philosophical about the famous site being closed.
Disappointed to not go inside, they were happy that at least the Italian capital was quiet and they could get around easily and never struggle to find a seat in a cafe.
For many, the coronavirus lockdown in the north felt a long way away, but a few hours later that all changed when the country's prime minister addressed the nation.
Giuseppe Conte announced the whole country would go into quarantine from Tuesday morning. It has left Italy reeling, alarmed and above all confused.
All public gatherings are banned, all sports events cancelled and movement will be severely restricted.
If you want to leave your municipality you have to fill in a form with your reasons. Failing to do so means a fine or even imprisonment.
Italians across the nation watched on TV as he appealed to them for their help: "Our future and the future of Italy is in our hands," he said.
It has become clear to many Italians that the measures introduced in the north were not enough to contain the virus.
While tourists may have been blase, Italians in Rome have had a sense of when, not if, this might happen.
All the city's historical sites and museums are shut and deserted. The Pope is no longer appearing in public but conducting mass via video link.
Hotels are largely empty, waiters stand idle in the city's restaurants and the streets are eerily quiet with taxis lined up with nowhere to go.
Italians can now only travel for work or family emergencies.
Passengers trying to get on flights will have to justify their travel reasons. There will be controls at train stations.
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Shortly after the prime minister's address there were reports of long queues outside 24-hour supermarkets, with staff managing a one-in-one-out policy, as stockpiling began.
News reports showed scenes of rioting prisoners angry at visiting rights being cut. Seven inmates were killed in the chaos, adding to the impending sense of doom.
British people have been told if they are returning from anywhere in Italy they must self-isolate for 14 days and worried holidaymakers are concerned about getting home.
Natasha Pearson, a British tourist from Nottinghamshire on holiday with her husband, told Sky News: "We are anxious. We also have a son on a ski trip [in the Italian Alps] who travelled 24 hours to get there only to be sent straight back to the UK."
In Rome's restaurants signs tell people to sit one metre apart. Police have been checking the rule is obeyed or the owner will be charged.
Now theatres, cinemas and gyms will close. The streets will become even more deserted.
Rome is due to welcome thousands of Catholics from around the world for Easter celebrations in a few weeks. In three months the city is meant to be hosting the first match of Euro 2020.
There is huge concern this country may not have recovered in time. No wonder the prime minster is pleading for everyone to play their part.