We're gonna show you a shot of Milan.

There, the country's normally bustling financial capital essentially unlocked out.

About 16 million people in northern Italy will be placed under a travel ban for a month.

It's the toughest attempt to contain the virus outside of China and the first time such a measure has been taken in Europe in centuries.

Megan Williams has the details from Rome.

These are drastic and massive measures for Italy.

As you mentioned, we're talking 16 million people that have essentially been put into quarantine.

Now the areas that have been shut off our in northern Italy Lombardia, which is the region around the city of Milan, and 14 other cities and areas around there.

So these air people who now cannot enter or leave those areas, they've also been told to not move within them too much unless they absolutely have to to get to work or for health emergencies.

Gyms, schools, universities, all sorts of places where people congregate have been fully shut down.

Restaurants are open till six o'clock, but people have been told as they have been told across the country to keep a least a meters distance from other people.

Now the biggest concern about this this drastic and ness necessary measure is the impact on the Italian economy.

Italy still has not fully recovered from the recession 10 years ago.

It has struggled in and out of shrinkage, and experts are saying this will definitely lead to Italy entering another recession.

That area in northern Italy that is now essentially under lock down comprises about 1/3 of the country's GDP.

Soto have that economy frozen even just for a month is a massive impact on the whole of Italy.

Meghan Williams, CBC News, Rome We're gonna turn now to Layla, Be chair.

She is a pharmacist who is affected by this lock down, and we've reached her near Milan.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Layla, having me our pleasure, let's talk about what the lock down is like in your town.

Well, I live in causa persa lingo, which is one of the second town that got in lock down the two weeks ago.

We are starting now our third week and you're in the night thes this'll lock down spread to the whole region.

So the whole long birdie now is in.

Lock down.

Um, me.

Um, personally, it's necessary.

I think it was necessary way before when we started our lock down.

I think everybody, the whole rage region should have been put on.

Lock down begins.

And, um, we're not anything.

We are.

We're doing good.

We're holding our positions, and we understand that it is necessary to do so.

So when we use the term locked down, what does that mean for daily life?

What do you do for shopping and for food?

And do you not go out of your house at all?

Just describe what a typical day is like for you and your family.

Okay.

For me, it's still pretty much the same because I'm a pharmacist.

And pharmacies, uh, kept being open for the whole time.

So I never stopped for working for my husband.

He stopped this two weeks because we were in the red zone.

Now the red zone is the whole region.

So now things are changing because we're going back thio normal activities.

Even though they are very strict, we are allowed to leave our houses.

Could you in order to get the basic things down.

So get food, get medicine.

And now, um, we can go to work.

But we are.

We have to keep distance while we work.

And we have thio.

We have rules to follow.

So, uh, mass and distance and we are We have to avoid the get together in big groups, the Hunger Games and the main part of the being.

The main part of this, this lock down is to have kids at home because schools are closed and they're gonna be close till April 3rd.

That show that's gonna be a problem because my husband has been back.

Word I'm working.

Still, we'd done We haven't figured out how you win skit.

We're not sure who's gonna take care of them because my parents are 25 kilometers from here and they could take care of them.

But it's better in Dega.

Move!

Come here and we do move the twins to go there.

So it's part.

It's the situation is awfully here Now, as a pharmacist, you must be dealing with people every day who are concerned about their health.

What sort of reaction are you getting from people and especially your customers.

Uh, now people are afraid because the cases off infections, infection increase during these weeks and our sanity, our hospitals are full.

Our intensive care units are getting full.

They're really few spots open.

So now it's It's a threatening situation.

It is really So I I excited.

Please would you would let me.

I would take people stay at your house for real visit.

This is this is important to people not to get together and say that their houses I ask you one more quick question how you are doing emotionally.

I'm coping with it, trying to I'm trying to stay positive because stress is not good for our health.

Though I'm trying to stay positive, I'm very loose, lucid about the situation and focus on how to act because every single act action off every single person matters now.

So we had to be responsible and think before we act and be responsible about what we do when how but we really All right.

That's OK.

I'm sorry we have to let you go there.

But later I want to thank you for your time.

I really appreciate it.

Welcome.