Army mobilises to enforce coronavirus lockdown in worst hit region in Italy

The Italian army have been deployed to impose a forced lockdown in Lombardy region which is the worst hit with coronavirus in Italy.

The regional President Attilio Fontana told a press conference on Friday, “The request to use the army has been accepted… and 114 soldiers will be on the ground throughout Lombardy,”

“It is still too little, but it is positive.”

Italy has now reported more than 41,000 cases of coronavirus as of Friday, the first patient was recorded on 21 February in the country.

The death toll in Italy currently stands at 3,405 or 8% and has now exceeded that of China which stands at 3,253 despite having just under half the number of confirmed cases.

Italy has 41,035 compared to China’s 81,250 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Dr Antonio Pasenti Head of Lombardy’s Intensive crisis care unit in Italy told Sky News on Friday, that “the UK is a matter of weeks behind Italy” and will most likely experience “what we are seeing.”

He said that , “8.8% of cases are among healthcare workers” across the country.

A well-known Italian doctor and politician has warned why London will be hardest hit area in the UK.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, Maurizio Brucchi, a renowned Italian doctor who also served as Mayor of Teramo, gave a stark warning to Londoners, the worst is yet to come.

Brucchi said, “In a press conference yesterday, the doctors who have arrived from Wuhan [China] to help us out have told us that our measures are not enough – that we need to be more restrictive.

“The numbers are growing, but what is concerning is that there have been more than 475 deaths in a day.

The Italian Dr warned, “London needs to be careful.

“Boris Johnson has to stop with these half-measures. They simply do not work. The Chinese have told us.”