Iran Press/Europe: The new rules include telling people not to enter or leave Lombardy, which is home to some 10 million people, as well as 11 provinces in four of Italy's 19 other regions, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters.
All museums, gyms, cultural centres, ski resorts and swimming pools will be shut in the targeted areas, according to the decree, which is due to come into force from Sunday.
The 11 provinces affected are those around Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Rimini in the region of Emilia-Romagna - Venice, Padua and Treviso in the region of Veneto - Asti and Alessandria in Piedmont - and the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the central region of Marche.
All schools and universities will be closed in Lombardy and the listed provinces until at least April 3. This week, the government announced schools all over the country would be closed until March 15.
The epidemic is already weighing hard on Italy's struggling economy and Rome has pledged to spend €7.5 billion euros ($12.7 billion) to tackle the outbreak and its consequences.
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