According to a decree obtained by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, a mandatory quarantine might be put in place in Northern Italy that will affect at least 16 million people.

Popular tourist cities Milan and Venice will reportedly also be affected.

The regions affected, according to the BBC, will include Lombardy and 11 other provinces in the northern part of the country.

There will also reportedly be restrictions on travel within the areas affected, with exceptions made only for emergency situations.

The BBC noted that the "lock down" echoes the one imposed in Wuhan around the start of the outbreak.

The Corriere della Sera article predicts these announcements are "imminent" and made in the coming hours. The quarantine will reportedly last until early April.

This would mean a drastic restriction in the movement of people.

According to the paper, many establishments will see temporary closures as a result of these new measures.

Schools and universities will be closed, as will pubs, discos and other places of entertainment. Gyms, museums, and swimming pools will also be closed. Civil and religious ceremonies will also be suspended.

According to the BBC, restaurants will still be open, but customers will have to sit at least a metre apart.

Those who break these rules could face three months in jail.

So far, Italy has the highest death toll, over 230, from the virus outside mainland China, with more than 50 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

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