The Italian government will adopt new tough measures to try to contain the spread of coronavirus, including telling people not to enter or leave the hardest-hit region of Lombardy.
Reuters has reported that their reporters have seen a draft of the decree to quarantine Lombardy.
So far only a few limited areas of northern Italy, known as "red zones", have been quarantined, but in a dramatic escalation the draft tells people not to enter or leave Lombardy or 11 provinces in other regions.
The legislation is expected to be approved later on Saturday, the head of the civil protection agency said earlier, after the number of infections rose by more than 1,200 in the last 24 hours.
In all the areas covered by the decree, including towns in the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont, schools will be closed at least until April 3, all museums, gyms and swimming pools will be also shut and leave is cancelled for all health care workers.
Italy has seen its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the outbreak broke out in the north of the country on Feb. 21.
In its daily update, Italy's civil protection agency said the number of people with the coronavirus rose by 1,247 in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883. Another 36 people also died as a result of the virus, taking the total to 233.
Officials said people in intensive care with ailments other than coronavirus in the hardest-hit region of Lombardy would be transferred to neighbouring regions, all of which have greater availability.
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