Quarantine: Italians Told To Stay Indoors Via Loudspeakers

Italians are being told to stay inside unless they need to buy medicines by health authorities patrolling neighborhoods with loudspeakers as the coronavirus quarantine begins to take hold. With 60 million people having their movements restricted, the video has a somewhat post-apocalytpic feel as Italians are told, “Please stay at home & go outside only when you need to buy medicines or see doctors. Please follow our rules & wear face masks.” The fact that the clip was posted by the Global Times, an official mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party is somewhat ironic.

“Please stay at home & go outside only when you need to buy medicines or see doctors. Please follow our rules & wear face masks,” Italian authorities use loudspeakers to promote awareness among local residents about #COVID19 prevention and control. pic.twitter.com/2EKEEm03b6

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 10, 2020

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping says the “tide has turned” as Beijing recorded only 17 new cases of coronavirus in Wuhan on Tuesday, the lowest figure since it began publishing data. According to one expert, the “outbreak has basically ended in China,” while new cases in Singapore and South Korea are also on the decline.