Hartlepool businessman living in virus-hit Milan reveals what it's like in coronavirus quarantine

Darren Waggott, who owns Kingfisher Computers in the town’s Church Street, has lived in the Italian city with his partner since September 2019 and fears for the welfare of his four-month-old daughter, Lilly Rose.

The 36-year-old says the majority of businesses in Milan are closed and family members have isolated themselves from one another.

The Italian Government has now imposed a nationwide lockdown as the deaths of at least 631 people have been linked to the virus.

Darren says, although he was the first to be sceptical, there is a real fear of the virus in the city and the country is doing all it can to prevent the spread.

Residents are allowed to leave their homes but they do so at their own risk and Darren says they’ve imposed a quarantine with his partner’s family, who live nearby in Milan.

“I’m really concerned for my little girl. We have to pay privately for all of her healthcare as we’re not citizens in Italy and she wasn’t born in the UK so she’s not covered by the NHS,” said the 36-year-old dad.

“At first I was very sceptical and I thought a lot of it was media hype.

“Everyone keeps themselves to themselves. All the schools are closed and people interact with each other as little as possible.

“You can go out quite freely but it’s at your own risk.

“Milan is quite big and each province is split by tolls and they’re all closed.

“My partner’s family live near by but we’ve self imposed a quarantine. They’re older and we have a four-month old baby and you just don’t who everyone has been in contact with.

“I dare say about 70% of businesses are closed. All the gyms are closed, as are bars and sporting grounds.”

The Director General of the World Health Organisation has confirmed that the organisation has characterised coronarivus as a pandemic.

On Wednesday, March 12, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear."