Italy Shuts All Non-Essential Businesses After 793 Die In One Day From Coronavirus
As the coronavirus death total in Italy passed 4,800 on Sunday, prime minister Giuseppe Conte decided to shut down all non-essential factories and businesses.
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Conte announced the move during a late-night address to the country on Saturday after a record 793 people were killed by the virus, the most in a single day anywhere in the world, according to The Guardian. He explained that the “decision taken by the government is to close down all productive activity throughout the territory that is not strictly necessary, crucial, indispensable, to guarantee us essential goods and services,” Conte said.
It was said that groceries and pharmacies would remain open. However, Conte did not specify what “indispensable” companies were. He did add that “We will slow down the country’s productive engine, but we will not stop it.”
The number of novel coronavirus cases around the world is over 321,000 worldwide with Italy and the United States behind China as the countries with the most cases of COVID-19. Aside from Italy, one of the hardest hit in Europe, certain states in the US have also ordered lockdowns to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We encourage every American to listen to their state and local authorities and follow President @realDonaldTrump’s Coronavirus Guidelines so you can protect your health, protect your family’s health, and #slowthespread,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a tweet on Saturday.
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