NPR

Coronavirus: Italy Orders Massive Shutdown; Cruise Ship Gets OK To Dock In California

Movie theaters, museums and other cultural sites throughout Italy are closed until next month. Meanwhile, a stranded cruise ship off California with infected passengers is finally allowed to dock.

Updated at 6:06 p.m. ET

As the novel coronavirus reached a global milestone, topping 100,000 cases across more than 100 countries over the weekend, Italy is imposing an extraordinary lockdown on about a quarter of its population and restricting public activities throughout the entire country.

The quarantine includes the cities of Milan and Venice, as well as the entire northern region of Lombardy, Italy's financial heart. It affects more than 16 million people in coronavirus hotbed areas and is scheduled to remain in effect until at least April 3.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte after confirmed cases in Italy spiked over the weekend. By Sunday, 7,300 people had been sickened and 366 had died — an uptick of 133 dead from the day before.

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