Reuters
- As the coronavirus continues to spread, some countries are putting their citizens on lockdown (though that's not a technical term used by public-health officials).
- India, China, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, and the UK have implemented the world's largest and most restrictive mass quarantines.
- More than 21,181 people have died and over 467,500 have been infected by the coronavirus worldwide.
- Wuhan, China, where the virus first appeared, has been locked down for more than six weeks, and many other Chinese cities still face travel restrictions.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Countries around the world are implementing measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, from national quarantines to school closures.
Before India went into lockdown, the Guardian estimated that 20% of the world's population is under some form of lockdown — and India's 1.3 billion citizens now join those at home. As of Wednesday, it's more than a third of the planet's population.
The World Health Organization, which has officially declared the outbreak a pandemic, has called on "all countries to continue efforts that have been effective in limiting the number of cases and slowing the spread of the virus."
While "lockdown" isn't a technical term used by public-health officials, it can refer to anything from mandatory geographic quarantines to non-mandatory recommendations to stay at home, closures of certain types of businesses, or bans on events and gatherings, Lindsay Wiley, a health law professor at the Washington College of Law, told Vox.
Here are the countries and territories that have implemented mandatory mass quarantines and border closures so far.
South Africa will go into a 21-day lockdown on March 26.
Reuters
Only essential businesses will remain open, and soldiers and police will monitor the streets, Al Jazeera reported.
"While this measure will have a considerable impact on people's livelihoods, on the life of our society and on our economy, the human cost of delaying this action would be far, far greater," President Cyril Ramaphosa said, according to Al Jazeera.
New Zealand enacted a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all individuals entering the country. The country went on full lockdown on Wednesday.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
New Zealand is to go into a month-long national lockdown on Wednesday as the number of cases in the country rose by almost 50%, the Guardian reported.
The lockdown will only be partially eased after a month if case trends slow.
"I say to all New Zealanders: the government will do all it can to protect you. Now I'm asking you to do everything you can to protect all of us. Kiwis — go home," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, according to the Guardian.
Saudi Arabia locked down its capital and two holy cities on Wednesday.
Saudi Press Agency via Associated Press
Bloomberg reports that Ridayh, and Islamic holy cities Mecca and Medina, are under lockdown. Residents will not be allowed to enter or exit, and are subject to a curfew that's four hours longer.
Saudi Arabia already suspended international flights and closed mosques, schools, and restaurants; it also imposed a curfew.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- LVMH ordered 40 million face masks from China for France — here's how some of the biggest names in luxury fashion are funding the fight against the pandemic
- 'Chaos' at reception, stolen hand sanitizer, and deserted beaches: What life was like during the 5-day coronavirus lockdown at a luxury Maldives resort
- Meet the Ohio family that invented Purell, the world's best-selling hand sanitizer flying off shelves amid the coronavirus pandemic
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