Italy recorded its highest death toll in the country in a single day. The country reported 168 deaths on Wednesday, prompting citizens to leave the streets and squares empty.
Over 10,000 Cases
As of Wednesday evening, Italy reported 10,149 confirmed coronavirus cases, as confirmed by both the country's civil protection agency and Johns Hopkins University.
According to CNBC, Italy's civil protection chief and coronavirus emergency commissioner Angelo Borrelli also revealed that around 45 percent of the people who died were aged between 80 and 89 years old.
The developments came as the country continues to be on lockdown. Tougher travel and movement measures were also implemented as part of the entire-country lockdown.
Citizens have been told to stay at home. People who want to travel need special permission to do so, while people arriving from other countries need to give an acceptable reason for their arrival.
Air Canada Suspends Flights to Italy
On Wednesday evening, Air Canada suspended flights to Italy as the coronavirus continues to batter the locked-down country.
The last flight to Rome took off on Tuesday and the final returning flight from Rome to Montreal will be completed late Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
Air Canada said in a statement that "ongoing health and safety concerns" pushed the carrier to cancel flights in the country that has seen the biggest CoVID-19 outbreak yet outside China.
Italians Share Stories about Life on Lockdown
Citizens have started sharing stories about their life on lockdown, with some revealing that Venice, Milan, and Rome, have become ghost towns. The said cities were thriving before the lockdown and are known globally as tourist destinations.
Speaking with CNN, La Repubblica journalist Beniamino Pagliaro revealed that the new measures on citizens and nationals across the country came unexpectedly since nobody saw the massive outbreak coming in the country.
Pagliaro added that Rome used to be notorious for its traffic jams but since the lockdown was announced, there was little traffic. Many employees have opted to work from home and the number of tourists in the area dramatically declined in just a few days.
Despite earlier riots when the northern side of Italy was locked down, Pagliaro said citizens are starting to adhere to the government's calls to stay at home. This is apparent by the view of empty streets and fewer cars on the road.
Supreme Court Intern Describes Lockdown As 'Strangest Situation'
Intern Rome's Supreme Court Lydia Carelli said in an interview after the lockdown that it is the "strangest situation that I've ever lived in." She added that the new restriction measures can be equivalent to that of the situation of war.
Carelli's comments came as the Italian government deployed military police to clamp down on people attempting to fly out of the country. Health officials are also spread across the country to conduct the necessary coronavirus screenings.
A big number of schools have shut down, cinemas, sports centers, and other areas where large crowds usually gather have also been closed temporarily.
Sharp Turn of Events Rattles Italy's Confidence
When CoVID-19 cases in China reached its peak sometime in January and some of February, the Italian government appeared to be lax although it did cut off flights from the coronavirus' origin country.
At that time, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said his country's prevention system was "the most rigorous in Europe," The Guardian reported.
However, experts noted that while Conte expressed confidence in the country's CoVID-19 prevention system, the novel coronavirus that already killed thousands around the world was circulating on the northern region.
The first hit came in mid-February when a resident of Codogno who was physically fit and had no links to China developed symptoms. Upon multiple visits to the hospital, his symptoms were not recognized as those of the CoVID-19 strain.
Called Patient One by the Italian local media, underwent testing two days delayed as he already infected several hospital staff and other people he came in contact with during the time his symptoms were not considered under the coronavirus list.
