Italy lockdown tightens after worst death toll yet

Italy has closed all parks and is banning its citizens from venturing outdoors except for essentials, like food.

It comes after it recorded 627 new deaths, the single biggest 24-hour spike of any country since the outbreak began.

Matthew Larotonda reports.

Italians singing their national anthem from the balconies of their apartments.

That was Rome on Friday (March 20).

On Saturday (March 21) the lockdown operations across the country to combat coronavirus got even tougher.

Because it's death toll has now soared past 4,000 after the single largest 24-hour spike in any country since the outbreak began.

All parks will be closed, people cannot leave their home even for exercise now, and in the worst hit region the military is now joining police to enforce it.

People can only venture outside for essential needs like food.

To make matters worse, the death toll may actually be far higher than official tallies.

The mayor of the most badly hit city, Bergamo in the country's north, has reportedly said that he believes it may be as much as four times as high in his town.

The mayor told the Huffington Post that elderly are dying at home without testing, so the true numbers may be underreported.

Other town mayors in the area have told him the same.

In Genoa, also in the country's north, a cruise ship is being repurposed as a hospital ship to offset the overflowing medical wards.