Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced Monday that the entire country of Italy and its more than 60 million residents will be on lockdown to stop the rampant spread of the novel coronavirus. The extreme measure comes after Italy registered 9,172 cases and 466 deaths on Monday, up nearly 1,800 from the day before, making it the most inflicted region after China. The lockdown means that residents will be greatly restricted in movement and prohibited from gathering in public places to try to stop the spread of the potentially deadly virus. Those defying the order face hefty fines and jail time. The northern regions of Italy have been under a similar lockdown since Feb. 23, when the epidemic exploded from three cases. On Sunday, the government expanded the lockdown to include the entire northern regions of the country and 16 million inhabitants. The further expansion of the red zone to encompass the entire country comes after a mass exodus from the previously restricted area. It is unclear how long the country will be under restriction.
