Il Sant’Andrea bar is a symbol of the excitement of Orvieto, a hilltop town of about 4,000 people in the Umbria region, central Italy.
`On Sunday, five of us worked. Today there’s only one left,` barman Francesco Maggi said.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the night of March 9 asked more than 60 million Italians to `stay at home` when the government introduced many unprecedented measures in peacetime to prevent the spread of nCoV.
Mr. Conte’s message began to spread.
Mother and daughter walked through the empty Campo Dei Fiori square in Rome yesterday.
In Orvieto, a town that relies on tourism, bars and shops have placed floor markings instructing customers to stay at least one meter apart.
Yesterday morning, the atmosphere here was very gloomy, but people did not panic.
`People are definitely taking it more seriously,` said Federico Badia, a shoemaker.
Others are confused by quarantine regulations.
`Very confusing,` said Toni DeBella, an American.
According to quarantine regulations, all forms of public gatherings, including sporting events, funerals, and weddings, are prohibited.
`This is not a strict lockdown like in China,` said Matteo Renzi, former prime minister and leader of Italy Viva, one of the majority parties in the government.
Life in major cities like Rome, Milan and Venice has come to a standstill.
`You can see the difference in Rome today versus yesterday,` said Sabina Colombo, a consultant who works from home.
Kelly Medford, an American artist living in Rome, also noticed a change in mood over the past 24 hours.
`I think we were all quite shocked because the lockdown affected every family, showing how serious the situation was,` Medford said.
Police at a security checkpoint in Milan yesterday morning.
In southern Italy, the streets of the Campania region were almost quiet, except for supermarkets and pharmacies, as people waited in long lines to buy mineral water, noodles and disinfectant.
`This morning, I wore a mask for the first time and saw everyone wearing it,` said Federica Montalba, an education coordinator.
As the number of nCoV infections in Italy continues to rise, Simona D’Alessi, a doctor at Benfratelli hospital in Palermo, said the risk of infection in hospitals is `very high`.
`We’re running out of masks and gloves. People are constantly coming into the emergency room. Doctors don’t have time off because this is an emergency situation and people need us, but I don’t know if we can last.`
Hannah