Coronavirus: Italian lockdown against normal way of life in sociable country - Kiwis speak about situation

A traveller wears a mask as she fills out a form at a checkpoint set up by border police inside Rome's Termini train station. Photo / AP

Radio stations hosting live DJ sets to keep people out of clubs are one of many measures Italy is taking to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The number of deaths from Covid-19 in Italy rose from 463 to 631 in one day, an increase of 168, and over 10,000 were infected, AP reported.

Italy entered a nationwide lockdown today, affecting the population of about 60 million - which also includes at least 206 New Zealanders.

Annabella Garwood, a New Zealand journalist in Italy, told Newstalk ZB's Kate Hawkesby the lockdown went against Italy's way of life.

"Italians are really warm, social people. When they greet, they hug, they kiss. I think these restrictions could take a few days to sink in."

Garwood spoke to a bakery owner today, who said sales hadn't dropped off but people were heading into the store one at a time, rather than queuing.

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Many airlines were preparing to stop flying in and out of Italy, leaving New Zealanders in the country in an uncertain situation.

"In the next couple of days there's going to be a stop to those flights. Those people who maybe still can get out will be getting out," Garwood said.

David Green, of Coatesville, played and coached a hockey team in Italy and only returned there on February 23 for the second half of the season.

David Green is a Kiwi stuck in lockdown in Italy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Photo / Supplied

Living in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, items like flour, sugar, tinned beans, oil and toilet paper were becoming non-existent, he said.

Red tape had also been placed on the floor of the supermarket to ensure people kept one metre apart from each other.

Red tape has been put on the ground in Italian supermarkets to keep people one metre apart. Photo / Supplied

Public morale was pretty good given the circumstances, Green said, but it could change now given the country had entered the lockdown phase.

"Ask me in a couple of weeks how I'm coping - it might be a different story," he said.

Medical personnel works inside one of the emergency structures that were set up to ease procedures outside the hospital of Brescia, Northern Italy. Photo / AP

A man wears a mask as he looks at an empty St. Peter's Square after the Vatican erected a new barricade at the edge of the square, in Rome. Photo / AP

Nicky Meo, another Kiwi in Italy, said authorities appeared to be ramping up their enforcement of the lockdown.

She told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking she now needs to carry a stamped permission slip every time they drive to work.

"They seem to be saying they'll do road checks, and if you're outside your zone you'll be fined or imprisoned, so they're making it quite clear they mean it."

Most Italians are broadly supportive of the restrictions and are willing to put up with the inconvenience they cause, Meo said.

"People are afraid, and they're saddened by it, and if you speak to elderly people, they're frightened by it. They want it to go away and they want it to stop."