The WHO director-general said that Italy was disadvantaged by drastically issuing a blockade of about a quarter of the population to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.

"The Italian government and people are taking bold, courageous steps to slow the spread of nCoV and protect their country and the world. They are making real sacrifices. WHO has always stood by Italy. to support you, "said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Twitter yesterday.

The announcement was made by Tedros after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte approved a blockade on March 8, prohibiting people from entering or leaving Lombardy, Italy's most populous and wealthiest region, as well as 11 provinces. in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Piedmont and Marche areas except for emergencies. This decision will affect more than 15 million people, accounting for a quarter of Italy's population.

Under a blockade, all museums, gymnasiums, cultural centers, ski resorts and swimming pools will be closed. Medical staff vacations will be canceled, while weddings, funerals and sporting events will not be held. Schools in blocked areas will be closed until April 3, and educational institutions across Italy will also stop operating until March 15.

Since the afternoon of 7/3, thousands of people hastily left after drafting the blockade of the above areas was revealed by Corriere della Sera. On the morning of March 8, dozens of police and medical personnel were on duty at the train stations in Lombardy to prevent evacuating passengers from the southern region to avoid the blockade.

Italy today recorded more than 1,400 nCoV-positive cases, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to more than 7,300, becoming the third largest outbreak of Covid-19 in the world, after mainland China and South Korea.

Italy is also the second highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the world, behind only China, with 366 cases. The Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions account for 85% of the current total of more than 7,300 cases in Italy and over 90% of deaths.

Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China, since December 2019, appeared in 109 countries and territories, causing more than 110,000 people infected, more than 3,800 people died. The number of new cases in China has dropped to a record today, at 40, while cases in other countries such as Italy and South Korea are constantly increasing.