People wearing face masks walk on a street in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
ROME, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible.
The only exceptions, said the prime minister, are supermarkets, pharmacies, public transportation, post offices, banks, farms, and food production industries, which must be kept running in order to guarantee basic services to the public.
The stringent new measures are aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which has so far infected over 10,000 people and killed over 800 in Italy since it first appeared in the country on Feb. 21.
A closed restaurant is seen in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
People wearing face masks walk on a street in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
People wait in line to enter a supermarket in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
A woman wearing a face mask walks on the shopping street Via dei Condotti in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
Photo taken on March 12, 2020 shows the empty Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
Few people are seen on the shopping street Via dei Condotti in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
A woman wearing a face mask walks a dog on the shopping street Via dei Condotti in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
A closed Gucci shop is seen in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
A closed fruit shop is seen in Rome, Italy, on March 12, 2020. The number of people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in Italy reached 12,839 on Thursday, Italian authorities said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. (Photo by Elisa Lingria/Xinhua)
