Italy's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak eclipsed China's on Thursday as the scourge extended its march across the West, where the United States and other countries increasingly enlisted the military and improvised at every turn to get ready for an onslaught of patients.

The number of new coronavirus cases in Italy jumped dramatically on Tuesday, with more than 3,500, pushing the cumulative total number to over 30,000, according to new data released by the Civil Protection Department.

The boisterous hum of Rome dwindled to a whisper and police patrols kept people apart in cafes as Italy enforced an extraordinary, sweeping lockdown in hopes of not becoming the next epicenter of the spreading coronavirus epidemic now that life in China is edging back to normal.

The number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Italy has shot up by 133 in a day to 366, officials say and reports BBC.

Italy announced a sweeping quarantine early Sunday for its northern regions, igniting travel chaos as it restricted the movements of a quarter of its people in a bid to halt the new coronavirus' relentless march across Europe.