Kate Langbroek has been left stranded in Venice after a coronavirus scare left the island city in lockdown.
The radio presenter, 54, who lives with her family in Bologna, had travelled to Venice with her husband, Peter, for the weekend’s Carnival festivities on Friday.
Speaking to Hughesy and Ed on Monday, Kate revealed that the streets of Venice were eerily empty amid the health crisis.
‘Walking through Venice… it was like a ghost town last night, even though there were still Carnival events on during the day,’ she said.
‘The news [of the lockdown] broke yesterday that they were cancelling Carnival today and tomorrow. That’s huge news.’
She went on to reveal that her children’s schools and sporting activities have been cancelled for the week.
Stuck in Venice: Kate Langbroek, 45, revealed to Hughesy & Ed on Monday that she was trapped in Venice during Carnival celebrations due to a coronavirus lockdown
Carnival nightmare: The Australian radio star, who lives with her family in Bologna, had travelled to Venice with her husband Peter for the annual Carnival festivities over the weekend (pictured together at a Carnival event on Sunday)
Kate made light of the situation by joking that the lockdown was a good excuse to extend her Venetian holiday.
‘Peter and I were like, “Hang on a minute, if we get quarantined in Venice, our four children are at home with a babysitter in Bologna. Does that mean we get two weeks of holidays?”‘
This didn’t happen, however, as Kate managed to book train tickets out of Venice for herself and her husband later that day.
‘Does that mean we get two weeks?’ Poking fun at the situation, Kate joked that the lockdown could be a good excuse to extend her Venetian holiday. Pictured: Kate relaxing in Venice on Monday amid the coronavirus lockdown
‘Plague doctor out’: Following the interview, Kate poked fun at the Coronavirus scare by uploading a photo of a man wearing a traditional Carnival ‘plague doctor’ mask
‘Things are a bit quieter than normal’: She also shared a video on Instagram Stories of the spectacular view from her hotel room, which overlooked Venice’s Grand Canal
Festivities: Kate shared this photo of herself preparing for a Carnival celebration in Venice on Sunday
Living the life! Kate and Peter relocated to Italy with their four children (pictured) in January 2019 for what was supposed to be a ‘gap year.’ But they have since extended their stay for another 12 months
Following the interview with Hughesy and Ed, Kate uploaded a photo to Instagram of a man wearing a traditional Carnival ‘plague doctor’ mask.
‘The streets of Venice are quiet this morning. Plague doctor out,’ she wrote in the caption, adding the hashtags ‘Venezia’ and ‘coronavirus’.
She also shared a video to her Instagram Story of the spectacular view from her hotel room, which overlooked Venice’s Grand Canal.
‘It’s the first morning after the coronavirus scare, so things are a bit quieter than normal. But we’re about to venture out and see what’s going on… still very beautiful,’ Kate said.
On Sunday, Italian officials announced the Venice Carnival would end later that day, cutting the event short by two days due to the virus outbreak.
The northeastern Italian regions of Veneto, which has Venice as its regional capital, and Lombardy are now under strict quarantine restrictions.
About 50,000 people cannot enter or leave several towns in Veneto and Lombardy for the next two weeks without special permission.
Cancelled: On Sunday, Italian officials announced the Venice Carnival would end later that day, cutting the event short by two days due to the virus outbreak. Pictured: Tourists wearing protective masks in Venice on February 24
Lombardy and Veneto have also locked down towns and banned public events, with schools also being shut to stop the virus spreading.
Even outside the zone, many businesses and schools have suspended activities, and sporting events have been cancelled including several top-flight soccer matches.
Italy has confirmed 219 cases of the virus, by far the largest number outside China, Japan and South Korea
Quarantine: The northeastern Italian regions of Veneto, which has Venice as it’s regional capital, and Lombardy are now under strict quarantine restrictions. People wearing protective masks in Venice on February 23
Authorities across the north have shut schools, universities, museums and cinemas for at least a week in the most drastic quarantine measures that any country has taken outside Asia.
On Saturday, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that ‘extraordinary measures’ would come into force amid the virus outbreak.
Italian shares fell 4.2 per cent on Monday morning, with businesses, with Banco BPM which has its roots in Lombardy plunging nearly seven per cent.
Analysts say the outbreak could shunt Italy’s fragile economy into its fourth recession in 12 years, with government bonds also taking a swift hit.
Italy has confirmed 219 cases of the virus, by far the largest number outside China, Japan and South Korea. Pictured: Tourists wear protective masks as they visit Venice after the cancellation of the Venice Carnival festivities on February 24