if you can't leave lombardy, presumably you can't fly.re talking about bringing in extra, even the military to make sure that the borders are kept safe. it is crazy! it is absolutely crazy. when you speak to people, your neighbours, yourfriends, speak to people, your neighbours, your friends, is there any resentment about these potential instructions, people shrugging their shoulders and getting on with it? initially there were, initially, but now people are starting to take it more seriously, luckily, because i have to defend italy in this. italy has been slandered as the worst place, the place that sprinted all over the world. but italy was the place did most test. of course i found more victims because they were doing the tests, and they put into place a lot of measures before any of the european country. i think they have handled it very well. they really have tried their best to contain it, and they are still trying. even the world health 0rganization awarded them a couple of days ago. are you psychologically and practically ready to

lombardi didn't have that luxury.and london to a lesser extent but outside london we have had more time to plan and prepare. we are now seeing cases, confirmed cases, highly suspicious cases, that we haven't yet had the test results back from, so this is beginning to bite but at the moment, and in most intensive care units they have doubled their capacity through the use doubled their capacity through the use of different staff, freeing up of available bed space but we know that we are very quickly going to get to the limit of the capacity of this phase and have to move into the next phase where we occupy other clinical areas and provide respiratory support to these patients. what do you think, alas both of you this, what do you think of the people who aren't taking it seriously? this is a problem in britain and the moment. we have been advised to keep two metres apart, to stay—at—home as much as possible, some people aren't following that advice. what do you think of that behaviour? its like collective suicide. colle

the number of cases in lombardy is already causing problems for hospitals.ome are running out of spare beds, according to the head of the civil protection agency. translation: lombardy, as you know, is facing a tense situation in its hospitals. we expect that we will be asked to transfer patients to intensive care services in other regions. we will win this battle, this war, if our fellow citizens adopt responsible behaviour. we have to change our way of life, especially those persons who are in the fragile category, and at risk. in the united states, the number of deaths from coronavirus is now 19. passengers on board a cruise ship stranded off the coast of california say the process of testing everyone on board has started. they're preparing for a number of days, or even weeks in isolation. from san francisco, sophie long reports. a large, empty berth. this is where the grand princess should have docked today. instead, it remains stranded off the coast of california. the lives of those on board left in limbo. when we get moved to this facility, we will all

i mean, we are speaking about lombardi, which is 10 million i mean, we are speaking about lombardy, whiche, speaking over all of about 60 million people under such duress, so the fact that a few hundred of them went to the station is normal, but they woke up this morning with a new behaviour, and they have to stick to this new behaviour, and people need to be aware. you represent milan in parliament, but you are currently in rome, and you are intending to stay there, are you, because of the situation? it's the first time, i've been elected seven years ago, it's the first time that i'm not back to my constituency. for at least one day. because my husband, here in rome, is a person at risk. so i didn't want to put him under strain, and i understand how difficult it can be. my sister is in the area where the decree is concentrated, and she's pregnant, she was due four days ago, so i will not get to know my new nephew until may be the beginning of april. so i do understand the difficulty of the people, but, i mean, we do need to change our habits. it's not business as usual. this is not busin

translation: lombardy is facing a tense situation in hospitals.expect will be asked to tra nsfer we expect will be asked to transfer patients to intensive ca re transfer patients to intensive care services in other regions. we will win this battle, this war, if our fellow citizens are not responsible behaviour and we change our not responsible behaviour and we change oui’ way not responsible behaviour and we change our way of life, especially those persons who are in the fragile category and at risk. a professor of political philosophy and ethics at the pontifical gregorian university is in southern university, and he told me what he has made of the government's decisions. because i teach political philosophy i am the first to criticise the government, but in this case, i must be honest, they are doing the right things. probably they have got some problems and they are not have got some problems and they a re not clever have got some problems and they are not clever in signing when to spread the news, to spread the new laws and the new policies. —

in lombardi, ski resorts, gyms and nig htclu bs in lombardi, ski resorts, gyms and nightclubs cannot be opened and restau ra nt nightclubs cannot be opened and restaurant customers must sit at least a metre away from each other. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day since january. here, new emergency laws including court cases over video links or telephone to help tackle the pirates are due to be announced. and in the next few minutes we will be putting your questions to a virologist at the university of leeds. in other news, a doubling of funding for flood defence to 5 billion is expected in the budget on wednesday. a rather unorthodox royal welcome for meghan who delivered a message of international women's day. value and appreciate the women in your lives and set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way. and as 290 million children missing school as part of the world and lockdown, my dateline london panel asks if coronavirus can bring permanent changes to the way we live, that is in half an hour here on bbc news. good morning my apol

the number of cases in lombardy is already causing problems for hospitals.ome are running out of spare beds, according to the head of the civil protection agency. translation: lombardy, as you know, is facing a tense situation in its hospitals. we expect that we will be asked to transfer patients to intensive care services in other regions. we will win this battle, this war, if our fellow citizens adopt responsible behaviour. we have to change our way of life, especially those persons who are in the fragile category, and at risk. a professor of political philosophy is in italy and told me what he made of the government's decision. to be honest, because i teach political philosophy, i am the first to criticise the government but, in this case, i must be honest, they are doing what is right to do, the right things to do. probably, they have got some problems and they are not have got some problems and they a re not clever have got some problems and they are not clever in timing went to spread the news, to spread the new laws and new policies but, for the polic

in lombardy, ski resorts, gyms and nightclubs can't be opened. restaurant customers must sit at least a metre apart. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day, since january. here, new emergency laws, including court cases over video link or phone, to help tackle the virus are announced. a doubling in funding for flood defences to £5 billion is expected in the budget on wednesday. she really is beautiful, innit? a slightly unorthodox royal welcome for meghan who delivers a message for international women's day. value and appreciate the women in your lives and set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way. and click asks if ai can help fight coronavirus misinformation? that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the italian government has announced a massive lockdown, affecting millions of people, in northern italy. ski resorts, cinemas, gyms and nightclubs can't open in the region of lombardy. restaurants and cafes can, but customers must sit a metre apart. and their

units. —— lombardy.is exactly what the experts feared. and what are some of the reasons here but there are so many cases and deaths in italy? i think the problem was sort of underestimated at the beginning. when i say underestimated, i think that we we re underestimated, i think that we were not aware of how difficult the situation might be because there were cases that were absolutely without symptoms, so there were people that went around, and we didn't know that they were actually spreading they were actually spreading the infection. and given this increase, what are the steps being taken now by the authorities to try to bring this under control? the authorities are stressing very much the fact that people should be more careful, that elderly people should stay at home as much as possible, that people should not go around in the daily press conference. mr pirelli, who is in charge of the emergency, dealing with the press, said actually, let's change our way of life. so we are very much urged to not go

expected that this reason, in the figures, and we are aware that we are in a crisis, because now in lombardyre some problems with intensive care units. that was exactly what the experts feared. what are some of the reasons here that there are so many cases and deaths in italy? i think the problem was sort of underestimated at the beginning. when i say underestimated, i think that we weren't aware how difficult the situation might be, because there were cases that were absolutely without symptoms, so there were people who went around and they didn't know that they were actually spreading the infection. and given this increase, what are the steps being taken now by the authorities to try and bring this under control? the authorities are saying very much in fact that people should be more careful, that elderly people should stay—at—home as much as possible, that people should not go around, in the daily press conference, the man who is in charge of dealing with the crisis said, actually, let's change our way of life. so we are very much urged to not go to public places, you know, the vatican sa

the number who have died in lombardy has risen from 154 to 257. lombardy has risen from 154 to 257.st cases of the virus. airlines have suspended flights and strict controls are in place. gems, night clubs, museums and schools are closed. karenjelfs smith is on holiday in rome with her son and is due to fly home this evening. we can speak to her now. thank you for coming on the line. i don't suppose this is the holiday you had in mind. actually, the whole thing has been brilliant apart from today when we turned up at the coliseum to find out we could not go inside. up until then given realise anything was wrong. and what was the scene at the coliseum? were there signs? no, it was quite confusing. we had pre—booked to have a tour and they said there might be a problem and have another later they said it is shut, you will have to get your money back from the tour operator, which i have already got back. we went to the coliseum because we wa nted went to the coliseum because we wanted to convince ourselves that was shut and there were tonnes of people waiting around and it took about t

just at the qantas signed a decree after midnight which now the long down affects the region of lombardy and other northern provinces and includes venice and italy's financial capital milan italy is the country with the most corona virus infections in europe the government's most recent figures show some 5883 confirmed cases and 233 people have died from the infection now the lock down is the most drastic measure yet taken in a european country to try to contain the outbreak. deserted train stations and empty roads northern italian cities now placed under quarantine wake up to the effects of the new decree overnight a very different scene news of the imminent lockdown set off a rush to beat the clock in milan and in other areas affected by the lockdown people raced to train stations trying to get out before it's too late. for that because i read 2 hours ago that they may be putting out an urgent decree putting in the red zone and because i'd like to return down south to my relatives i decided to go earlier. lumber d. is italy's most populous region with 10000000 inhabitants its capital m

and italy's lombardy region. those trying to help the living are struggling to cope. where working in a state of very high stress and tension psychological stress has gone through the roof unfortunately we can't contain the situation in lombardy there's a high level of contagion and we're not even counting the dead anymore. look at the news that's coming out of italy and take note of what the situation really is like it's unimaginable. my best to you all let's keep smiling and stay strong you know he said. that i will simply die. and those who are looking after the dying are desperate. greatest problem which is emerging these days i would say is that the patients can't be visited by their relatives and often die on the wrong. we've started a service in which we contact relatives on the phone to explain to them what is happening so there is at least some contact. patients who are able to can call themselves but the older patients aren't able to because they just aren't used to it. so we try and keep in contact with the family. as corona crisis exploded chinese official

have now died from the virus in italy the country has recorded over 41000 infections the region of lombardy in the north of the country is the west hate so many people have died in recent days that cemeteries are no longer able to cope hospitals across the country are running out of space and doctors and nurses say they can't manage for much longer. italy is racing against time to provide more intensive care beds like this here in rome the nearly build columbus coded to unit is already taking patients and more dedicated hospitals are on the way officials fear the dos situation italy's north could soon start hitting self. on thursday italy surged past chawner as the country with the most current of ours did a monster unmarked will remain ridges of army trucks transporting hundreds of coffins from the worst hit region of lombardy. as the death toll mounts those trying to help the living are struggling to cope. with plenty. where working in a state of very high stress and tension psychological stress has gone through the roof unfortunately we can't contain the situation in lombardy there's a h

more than 1200 confirmed on saturday at the center of the unprecedented coroutine is the region of lombardy home to around 10000000 people and this is where italy's outbreak began people off a bit now from entering or leaving lombardy which includes the economic capital milan as well as a number of neighboring provinces but the large scale lockdown will also affect another $6000000.00 people in several provinces across the north including the city of venice restrictions are set to stay in place until. victoria gave us the latest . in casual in olden italy people rushed to the train station desperate to leave the city before it was put into lockdown but it took i read 2 hours ago that they may be putting out an urging to cream putting in the red zone and because i'd like to return down south to my relatives i decided to go earlier. prime minister picante has signed a decree to impose an unprecedented large scale quarantine in the long bloody region home to 10000000 people to limit the spread of coded 19. now we have restrictive measures for a much wider area because it wasn't making any sens

in lombardy, the worst affected region, teachers say some children felt lost without personal contactssons are helping. the reality has been taken away from them. being able to give them reality through a computer has been particularly important. how do you feel about the coronavirus? thumbs down? one parent in rome tells us she is worried about the psychological impact of the outbreak will have on the young. he is having nightmares. he is having nightmares? yes, i don't know if it is connected but he is having nightmares about spiders most nights. he said he is not worried because he is brave. you are brave, you seem very brave and you look very brave. nobody has lived through times like this before. the spaces may be smaller, but as ever, everybody is learning to adapt. sima kotecha, bbc news, rome. we can speak live now to irene tinagli, mep for northwest italy, representing the lombardy region, which has been worst hit by the coronavirus. she's been in quarantine for the last three weeks. first of all, how are you? i am fine. but of course i am worried because this emergency keeps

the northern region of lombardy is especially hard hit, including one of its cities, bergamo.itary lorries have had to help transport its dead to cemeteries and crematoria elsewhere. the head of the department of medicine at bergamo‘s main hospital, stefano fagiuoli, told the bbc there was no medical solution to the emergency. isolation is absolutely necessary to try to reduce the burden of this emergency. and there is no sanitary system able to face this situation. the issue is the compression in a very short time of a huge number of people having the same identical problem — that is the real challenge. italy has brought in new restrictions, including closing all parks and stopping people from going to holiday homes. its prime minister, giuseppe conte, has indicated he might tighten measures still further. in the meantime, there's been one ray of light — the authorities put out an emergency appeal to recruit 300 doctors to help embattled regions. by the time the deadline expired, well over ten times that number had volunteered to help. mr conte described them as heroes in whi

in lombardy, ski resorts, gyms and nightclubs can't be opened. restaurant customers must sit at least a metre apart. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day, since january. here, new emergency laws — including court cases over video link or phone — to help tackle the virus are announced. after 11 o'clock we'll be putting your questions about coronavirus to a virologist. a doubling in funding for flood defences to £5 billion is expected in the budget on wednesday. she really is beautiful, innit? a slightly unorthodox royal welcome for meghan who delivers a message for international women's day. value and appreciate that women enjoy live sand set the example for some men who are not seen enjoy live sand set the example for some men who are not seen yet that same way. “— some men who are not seen yet that same way. —— not seen some men who are not seen yet that same way. —— not seen yet that same way. and talking movies is at the berlin internationale film festival. that's in half an hour, here on bbc news. the italian gove

in lombardy, ski resorts, gyms and nig htclu bs in lombardy, ski resorts, gyms and nightclubs cannott customers have to sit at least a metre apart. china reports its lowest number of new infections in a single day since january. here, new emergency laws including court cases here, new emergency laws including court cases over a here, new emergency laws including court cases over a video link or forum to help tackle the virus are announced. borisjohnson meets victims of flooding, as a doubling of funding for

we were talking about lombardy moment ago.eople who will be affected by the italian lockdown is peggyjohnson — a british ex—patriate currently living in the village of montaveckio in lombardy. she spoke to us about how her daily life will change. there is no social interaction, they don't want any big gatherings of people. all of the sports facilities — i can't go to the gym, the swimming pools are closed down, all the kids are at home from school probably until the 3rd of april. restaurants and bars are allowed to open if they can guarantee that the clients keep one metre from each other. i don't see how that will work. people are starting to take it more seriously. i have to defend italy in this. italy has been slandered as the worst place, the place that spread it over the world, but italy was the place that did most tests and of course they found more victims because they were doing the tests. they put into place a lot of measures before any other european country. i think they have handled it very well. they have tried th

ski resorts, cinemas, gyms and nightclubs can't open in the region of lombardy. cafes can, but customers must sit a metre apart. around 16 million people across the north and east of the country are now in quarantine as part of the stringent new measures being introduced to tackle the spread of covid—19. all but emergency travel is prohibited to and from the entire region of lombardy, including the city of milan. let's talk to dr claire standley, an assistant research professor at georgetown university who specialises in how public response to infectious disease. she's in heidelberg in germany. thank you very much for speaking to us on thank you very much for speaking to us on bbc news. what are we seeing in terms of the pattern of infection? is it becoming clearer?” think we're getting an incredible amount data as countries share information with who and publicly. we are seeing there is a transmission occurring in communities which we have seen in many countries around the world and that will change how public health systems respond and we are seeing that in the

prime minister giuseppe conti's signed a decree after midnight the lockdown affects the region of lombardy and other northern provinces and includes venice and italy's financial capital milan now italy is the country with the most corona virus infections in europe the government's most recent figures show 5883 confirmed cases and 233 people have died of the disease now the lockdown is the most drastic measure yet taken in a european country to try to contain the outbreak. milan italy's vibrant financial heart turned into a ghost town lumber d. is the country's most populous region it's also where the corona virus has hit the hardest putting hospitals under strain and the government under increasing pressure to take a drastic measure as early part of the. body and the other northern provinces that i have listed people will be banned from entering or leaving these territories or travelling within the territories. and. just removing exceptions will only be allowed for proven professional needs. exceptional cases and for medical reasons we saluted. the decree doesn't only restrict travel peopl

for burial the corona virus has hit the lombardy region like no other place in italy. names and faces of lost loved ones fill the local papers as the death toll keeps climbing physicians and officials are appealing for help we are in full emergency with this coronavirus i mean you know a lot of personal nurses and physicians are working round the clock countless our work to find these incredible situation we do not know are wrong the spontaneous will last we are in desperate need of both nurses and physicians together with ventilators and this positive for protection efforts to build a temporary hospital in the epicenter are under way. its top that 200 intensive care units will be ready by the month and italy has also turned to the country where the virus originated 1st support medical teams from china have flown in to lend their expertise. not yours it's our job about each initial hope the people of our 2 countries will stay together and support each other to jointly overcome the hardship. i believe the top class teams of experts will learn from each other and make jo

unfortununately,e can't contain the situation in lombardi. there is a high level of contagion.e are not even counting the debt anymore. hannah: the lockdown meets patients have to fight for their lives without emotional support. >> the greatest problem which is emerging is that patients can't be visited by their relatives, and often die on their own. hannah: with italy's coronavirus crisis exploding, china has sent medical teams and equipment help, but the chinese red cross says there part-one advice is not being heated. >> in this city and the hardest-hit region, you don't have a very strict lockdown policy. public transport is still working and people are still moving around, and you are still having dinners and parties at hotels. ed you are not wearing masks. hannah: italian streets are largely empty. but there is fear that they will soon be fear out -- soon be filled with more army trucks carrying bodies. brent: in the united states, new york has joined california in confining nearly all residents to their homes, 60 million people in total, a drastic step designed to preven

died from the virus there and infections in the country have surged past 41000 in the region of lombardy in northern italy is the hardest hit so many people have died in this northern region in recent days that cemeteries are no longer able to cope hospitals across italy are running out of space and doctors and nurses say they can't manage for much longer. right thing against time to provide more intensive care that's what we're hearing growing the need build columbus cova to unit is already taking patients and more dedicated hospitals on the way officials fear they die a situation in italy's north could soon start heading south. on thursday italy search past china as the country with the most coronavirus did a milestone month with grim images of army trucks transporting coffins from the worst hit region of lombardy as the death toll mounts those trying to help the living are struggling to cope. where working in a state a very high stress and tension psychological stress has gone through the roof unfortunately we can't contain the situation in one body there's a high level of contagion a

latest what's the situation at the moment in lombardy. hi good morning and thanks for having me i think the situation is there's a lot of death and trauma lately especially in the provinces of the more pressure more not to the east of the of milan to the east of here spoke to a priest recently. and so many people have died in the community where he's. been member of the he told me it's going to be difficult to even imagine what life would be like when this is over because so many iconic people of the village are gone. and so we've all seen the pictures we've all seen the pictures of the trucks carrying bodies away from them all we've seen the pictures of the rows of caskets waiting to be buried in the city's cemetery and i think at this point all of them but he's wondering when does this stop or when will it slow down when do we see the effects of the lockdown that's been in place for over 2 weeks already we were told in the beginning that we would see the effects in 2 or 3 weeks time so we're about to enter the 3rd week of the of of lock

for lombardi and the other northern provinces that i have listed people will be banned from entering or leaving these territories or travelling within the territories. and. just removing exceptions will only be allowed for proven professional needs. exceptional cases and for medical reasons. the decree doesn't only restrict travel people in lockdown zones are also advised to cut down on social activities and stay home as much as possible. and restaurants in the lockdown area must close by 6 pm schools cinemas museums and gyms are closed nationwide those who do not respect the measures could face jail terms and fines news of the imminent quarantine set off a last minute rush to beat the clock in line and in other cities people raised to train stations trying to get out before it was too late. for that because i read 2 hours ago that they may be putting out an urgent decree putting part of why in the red zone and because i'd like to return down south to my relatives i decided to go earlier the virus is forcing people to change their lifestyles it's also taking a toll on italy's economy

most of the cases have in a region of lombardy as well as the north and east.lation: we are facing an emergency, national emergency. we have been applying precautionary measures from the beginning was up we are acting acting with the utmost determination. the region is home to 10 million people. that is like locking down tokyo or new york. gyms, circles, museums and ski resorts will be close. restaurants and cafe can open that customers need to sit at least a metre apart. religious events like funerals oi’ religious events like funerals or weddings are banned. and the pope's weekly sunday blessing will be delivered by video stream. instead of addressing the thousands who usually gather —— gather in saint peter's square. movement within the so—called red zones will be for urgent matters only. anyone who breaks the quarantine rules could be jailed for three months. one of italy's leading politicians says he has tested positive with the virus and has been self isolating. translation: i have always said don't panic. let's fight this and in this moment i will, of co

most victims are in the wealthy lombardi area.s in the north of italy. hello. recent days have brought a real mix of weather — it's that sort of time of year and we will continue in that vein in the days to come, so if you do not like what you are getting on one day, hang on and it is sure to change. we start bright and crisp with a little frost around perhaps for some eastern areas, even that will change because the weather system towards the west of the british isles creeps its way ever further towards the east. initially spreading a veil of cloud across western areas after a bright enough start, a couple of showers running ahead of the main rain area. after lunchtime the rain will be all over northern ireland, by mid—afternoon it will be over western scotland, western england and much of wales too. out east, you will lose your sunshine but you will stay dry until later on in the day. temperatures maxing out at around 10 degrees. part of the problem is that once it starts raining, because we've not got one system but two, it may

—— lombardy. there is a triage, very gruesome pictures.d is why we let it slide for so long because the government talked about herd immunity, but how can you have heard immunity in a virus where you don't know if you had it, how long you are immune? so that seems to me like a rather courageous approach. i am glad, i'm also british and they mainly live in london, i am very glad we have come around and now have majestic measures. but i would also like to see children not have to go to school because they have, as they found out in italy and in china and in switzerland, they are the fastest spreaders. all of my children are still at school, that's interesting. all of the schools where i live outside of london. they said many of their friends are just not at school. parents are taking their own children, their own decisions to take children at home even though schools are open here. this figure of 250,000 lives will be saved, because of the change in government strategy, in china there are over 3200 deaths. in south korea, amazingly 81 deaths

in the lombardy region alone, exercising outside has been banned.g machines, forbidden. and for the rest of the country, the prime minister has ordered all nonessential factories and businesses to close. translation: we are slowing down the country's productive engine, but we're not stopping it. it's not an easy decision, but a decision that allows us to face the most acute phase of the contagion. it's not yet clear what factories will close but supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices and banks will remain open. public transport will continue to run. but the strict new measures will span across all of the country, as a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the disease. on saturday alone, italy recorded nearly 800 coronavirus deaths. translation: i believe we have now taken all measures we are able to take before effectively shutting down the entire country. but i ask myself, how will we live? and how will we be able to sustain ourselves if we are no longer able to shop for food, and if supplies are not able to make it to our supermarkets? spain is

the vast majority of deaths and infections have been in the lombardy area, where, along with 14 othernces, around 16 million people have now been quarantined. our correspondent, mark lowen, is in bologna for us tonight. clive, two weeks ago we were talking about cases jumping here from three to 150. now they are well over 7000. considerfor a moment the to 150. now they are well over 7000. consider for a moment the sheer magnitude of what has happened over the past fortnight here, in the heart of europe. every sector, health care, the economy, daily life, is now threatened by this coronavirus outbreak. a senior health official here today said this was a war that italy would win. like a scene from a nightmare that italy is now living. sealed inside, a 62—year—old man, fall into the virus. he has been contained. the outbreak hasn't. he is transported to hospitals, stretched to the limit. this is the human cost of a disease that has taken hold so fast, infecting on a then incapacitating within days. translation: it really is very difficult. we are exhausted. we got so difficult. we are ex

we also spoke to the coordinator for intensive care units in the lombardi union. they are seeing a tsunami of patients reaching collapse putting patients in corridors. when i spoke to doctors in rome, they said they were hoping for this lockdown because the lombardi region has one of the best health infrastructures in italy. if those kinds of numbers were to reach other regions that don't have that infrastructure, it would be very difficult indeed. as if all of this is not enough, we also saw prison riots yesterday in 22 prisons throughout the country. inmates were protesting the ban on families coming to visit them. some of them even escaped. we're still waiting for official figures on whether all of the inmates have returned to prison. christine. >> an incredible test for italy this morning. delia gallagher in rome. thank you, delia. >>> coronavirus has now spread to more than 100 countries and territories. globally the number of coronavirus cases tops 113,000. more than 4,000 people have died. in asia where the outbreak began, cases appeared to be declining. so

the northern region of lombardy is especially hard hit including one of its cities, bergamo.es have had to help transport its dead cemeteries and crematoria elsewhere. the head of the department of medicine told the bbc there was no medical solution to the emergency. isolation is absolutely necessary to try to reduce the burden of this emergency. and there is no sanitary system able to face this situation. the issue is the compression in a very short time ofa the compression in a very short time of a huge number of people who have the same identical problem, that is the same identical problem, that is the real challenge. italy has brought in new restrictions, including closing parks and stopping people from going to holiday homes. it's prime minister has indicated he might tighten measured still further. in the meantime, there has been one ray of light, the authorities put out an emergency appeal to recruit 300 doctors to help embattled regions. by the time the deadline expired, well over ten times that number had volunteered to help. he described them as heroes in white coat