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ROME, March 11-- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday evening announced the closure of all retail shops, coffee bars, pubs, restaurants, hair stylists, and beauty salons, and called on the private sector to let employees take leave or work from home as much as possible. The stringent new measures are aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which has so far infected over 10,000 people and killed over 800 in Italy since it first appeared in the country on Feb. 21. The only exceptions, said the prime minister, are supermarkets, pharmacies, public transportation, post offices, banks, farms, and food production industries, which must be kept running in order to guarantee basic services to the public. The new measures came after the government placed the entire country on lockdown on Tuesday, with its 60 million inhabitants ordered to only leave their homes for strictly necessary reasons, such as buying groceries, going to the doctor, or walking their dogs. "The time has come to take a further step," Conte said in a televised message to the nation, adding that "we will only see the effects of this great effort two weeks from now". Conte also said he will name Invitalia CEO Domenico Arcuri as a "commissioner with ample powers to ramp up the manufacturing and distribution of intensive care machines and equipment." Invitalia is a national agency owned by the Economy Ministry that manages national incentives for new businesses. | 
