Italy will close all stores except pharmacies and food outlets, prime minister Giuseppe Conte has said.
The announcement was made after the number of coronavirus-related deaths rose in the country on Wednesday by 196 to 827.
This will include bars and hairdressers as well as company departments which are not essential for production.
Mr Conte thanked the public for cooperating with the already unprecedented travel and social restrictions that took effect on Tuesday.
But he said on Wednesday night that Italy must "go another step" by closing all shops and businesses except for food stores, pharmacies and other shops selling "essential" items.
There are currently more than 12,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Italy, a figure rising every day.
The prime minster said: "The right decision today is to stay at home. Our future and the future of Italy is in our hands. These hands have to be more responsible today than ever before."
It comes as the decision was made on Monday for Italy to go into lock down.
It means residents are urged not to leave their homes, apart from in emergencies and to get to work.
All public gatherings and sporting events have been cancelled, and schools and universities across the country have closed.
On Wednesday a seventh and eighth person died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.
NHS England said both patients were elderly, and had existing health issues.
Four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Wales today which brings the overall total to 19.
It includes one patient who has no history of travel to a country where the virus is circulating, and is not known to have had contact with another confirmed case.
