Italy's unprecedented, nationwide lockdown amid the country's rampant COVID-19 outbreak has intensified, with the majority of shops being ordered to close, according to reports.
According to Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (Agenzia ANSA), an Italian news wire service, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced all shops, bars, beauty services, pubs and restaurants will be closed as the country grapples with a rising death toll.
Tobacconists, newsagents, printers and factories, as well as banking, postal and financial services, will reportedly remain open. Home delivery and transport will still be available.
Pharmacies and supermarkets selling essentials will also be permitted to stay open. Other businesses considered as "essential" are plumbers, mechanics and petrol stations.
Another update reports the new measures will be effective until March 25.
Agenzia ANSA's director, Luigi Contu, tweeted that Conte's closure of all commercial activities will be implemented as a new measure to fight the spread of the virus.
According to The Guardian, Conte announced: "All shops will be closed apart from those for basic necessities, such as pharmacies and supermarkets. Industries can stay open, but with strict measures in place, as well as essential services such as banks. Transport will be guaranteed."
He warned Italians not to "rush to the supermarkets" as shelves will be restocked as normal.
The latest restrictions come two days after the first wave of nationwide emergency measures were introduced, with residents and visitors urged to remain at home.
Schools, universities, cultural sites, museums, theatres, cinemas and ski resorts have been closed, with sporting events and mass gatherings suspended.
"Just a few days ago I asked you to change your habits and stay at home and you have responded in an extraordinary way. You are making enormous sacrifices, I know that’s not easy, but these [sacrifices] are making a great and precious contribution to the country," Conte said in an address to his country.
There are currently 12,462 cases of the novel coronavirus in Italy, the death toll rising by 31 percent to 827 as of Thursday morning (NZ time), according to a tracker operated by Johns Hopkins University.
