Coronavirus: Italy Imposes Quarantine On 16 Million; U.S. Sees 1st East Coast Deaths
Updated Sunday at 6:03 a.m. ET
The government of Italy has imposed a lockdown on its northern region, restricting the movement of more than 16 million people, as it fights to control the coronavirus outbreak there.
The lockdown affects the entire Lombardy region, along with its capital Milan, as well as the city of Venice. The area includes about a quarter of Italy's population.
The Italian Civil Protection Agency reported a total of 5,883 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday evening, with 233 deaths from the illness.
Italy's action followed another day of increasing cases of the coronavirus in the United States, including the first confirmed case in the nation's capital.
To this point, the West Coast has borne the brunt of coronavirus in the U.S., with the bulk of confirmed cases so far reported in California and Washington state. But that's likely to change soon, with reports of cases now in Florida, New York and the Washington, D.C., area.
On Friday, health authorities in Florida said, in what are believed to be the first deaths linked to the disease on the East Coast. One of the patients lived in the district of Rep. Matt Gaetz, who drew criticism from colleagues earlier this week for of coronavirus when he wore a to a House floor vote on measures to .
