The number of confirmed cases in Italy has soared from 3 to 322 in the space of just five days, with 10 deaths, but authorities insist that the Schengen Area, which abolishes passport checks and border controls between 26 European states, must not be compromised.
Despite 50,000 citizens in Lombardy and Veneto being under internal lockdown, no such measures have been proposed for national borders.
Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte has refused to implement border controls, claiming it wouldn’t help stop the containment of the virus. This prompted former interior minister Matteo Salvini to demand Conte’s resignation "if he isn’t able to defend Italy and Italians."
"We agreed to keep borders open, closing borders would be a disproportionate and ineffective measure at this time," Health Minister Roberto Speranza also told reporters in Rome on Tuesday.
As RT highlights, borders will remain open despite Italy now being a major source of coronavirus spreading into neighboring European countries.
