Italy’s government is set to close cinemas and theatres and ban public events across the whole country to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak, according to a draft decree drawn up on Wednesday.
The decree, seen by Reuters, orders “the suspension of events of any nature... that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre (yard) to be respected.”
It also tells Italians to avoid hugging and shaking hands to prevent as much as possible a further spread of the potentially deadly illness which has been mainly concentrated in the country’s northern regions.
There was some confusion earlier when the Italian news agency ANSA said schools and universities are to close in Italy until mid-March as the country battles to control the coronavirus.
Italian Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said that the decision has not yet been taken
but would be decided “in the next few hours”.