10 things you need to know today: March 8, 2020

Italy locks down northern regions over coronavirus, Harris endorses Biden, and more

Deserted square in Milan.
(Image credit: Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)

1. Italy locks down northern regions over coronavirus

The Italian government Sunday announced the drastic measure of shutting down much of the country's north in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, restricting movement of around 16 million people in places like Milan and Venice until at least April 3. Italy now has more than 5,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 233 people of died from the virus, the highest amount of deaths outside China, where it originated. Most of those cases have occurred in Italy's northern regions, especially Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, which combined account for 40 percent of the country's economic output, so the restrictions will almost certainly damage the Italian economy in the short-term. Some confusion remains about what the exact measures and nature of enforcement will be, and regional and local officials have complained the national government did not effectively communicate the plan before a draft leaked.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.