Coronavirus outbreak: Italy locks down millions in red zones, Lombardy worst hit

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In a move to contain worsening the outbreak of novel coronavirus, Italy announced a sweeping quarantine early on Sunday for its northern regions, closing off the entire Lombardy region and 14 provinces in four other northern regions. Lombardy is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. At least 16 million people have been kept in quarantine as the European nation took drastic action.

This decision comes hours after the country witnessed a surge in confirmed cases at the weekend. A total of 7,375 infected cases have been reported in Italy while 366 people have lost their lives.  The jump in the number of deaths and infections over the weekend made it the worst-hit country outside China.

The lockdown restricted the movement of a quarter of the country's population.  

Local residents queued to get out of the area but police were still waiting for updated government guidelines to lift the checkpoints.

New roadblocks are expected to be set up in the wider red zones.

(With inputs from AP)

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