A young Brisbane woman working as an au pair in northern Italy is relieved she managed to flee the country before it became locked down as coronavirus turned her trip of a lifetime into a nightmare.
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Arielle Turnbull,18, has fled across the border to Switzerland after arriving in Italy on January 3 for an au pair adventure in the small town of Verano Brianza, about 45 minutes north of Milan.
As Italy became the world's biggest coronavirus hub after China and the country ground to a halt, Ms Turnbull had no option but to leave Verano Brianza.
Having crossed over the Swiss-Italian border to the town of Chiasso two weeks ago, Ms Turnbull says she was lucky to get out before strict quarantine rules were imposed on the northern Italian region of Lombardy.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte put the entire country into lockdown on Monday, banning all but the most important cross-border travel. Lombardy is expected to remain under quarantine until at least April 3.
"I was lucky I left when I did but everyone is stressing, even my new host mum keeps saying 'don't leave the house, don't go into Italy'," she told AAP on Tuesday.
"Everyone is very scared, especially for their older parents."
Ms Turnbull, who subsequently worked as an au pair in Switzerland, said many of her friends were stuck in Italy or had already left.
Her host family became anxious after she returned from a trip to Venice on February 25 as coronavirus spread through Italy.
"The family was so scared they made me stay in my room. I couldn't even hug the kids goodbye when I left," Ms Turnbull said.
"It all just hit me like a tonne of bricks, it was like the world is ending."
Ms Turnbull was due to arrive home in Brisbane on Wednesday night after booking flights on Sunday.
"I was so sad, I cried all day Sunday because I was so devastated," she said.
"I couldn't sleep and I just kept punching my pillow but now that Italy has been closed I know I made the right decision."
The Australian government on Wednesday said it would ben Italian visitors from entering Australia from 6pm, in line with bans already in place for visitors from China, Iran and South Korea.
When Ms Turnbull arrives in Brisbane, she will begin a 14-day self-isolation period.
More than 463 people have died in Italy from COVID-19. Some 9,172 people have been confirmed as having the illness.
Australian Associated Press
