Countries must act over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak “to prevent a potential pandemic,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned as it called Italy’s sudden spike in deaths “deeply concerning.”
Italian authorities have confirmed seven deaths now from the virus, with signs it is spreading from the north after a patient tested positive on Monday night in the Sicilian capital Palermo.
The EU has pledged €230 million to fight the outbreak in Italy and elsewhere but said it would not yet impose restrictions on travel or trade.
Countries must act over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak “to prevent a potential pandemic,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned as it called Italy’s sudden spike in deaths “deeply concerning.”
Italian authorities have confirmed seven deaths now from the virus, with signs it is spreading from the north after a patient tested positive on Monday night in the Sicilian capital Palermo.
Italy is trying to deal with the biggest cluster of infections in any country outside of Asia, with 229 cases confirmed so far. It was the first EU member state to see citizens die from the virus.
The EU has pledged €230 million to fight the outbreak in Italy and elsewhere but said it would not yet impose restrictions on travel or trade.
Some of the cases came at the same hospital in Codogno, one of the Lombardy towns now on lockdown.
The mayor of Codogno issued a decree ordering the closure of all restaurants, coffee bars, schools and public gathering spots such as discos and gyms. The health ministry advised area residents to stay home as a precaution.
A 38-year-old man was hospitalised there and his wife and a friend have also contracted it. Five medical staff, including nurses and doctors, have also tested positive.
The sudden increase in the number of cases prompted authorities to suspend events related to the famous Venice carnival.
Veneto regional Governor Luca Zaia said the carnival shutdown would begin on Sunday evening. The event, which draws tens of thousands of visitors annually, was scheduled to end on Tuesday.
Austria’s railway company announced on Sunday evening that it had stopped all rain traffic to and from Italy over coronavirus fears.
Local officials in another town, Casalpusterlengo, ordered local schools closed through Tuesday.
A third town, Castiglione d’Adda, said its libraries, public offices, gyms and garbage depots would be closed as a health precaution.
Despite the calls for safeguards, Italians were having a hard time finding protective face masks. A sampling of Milan pharmacies reported selling out weeks ago, as did a pharmacist in Codogno.
Local Italian media said on Saturday that at least 10 towns were effectively locked down: Casalpusterlengo, Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano.
Individual cities outside the area covered by the ordinance, such as Cremona, issued their own restrictions after confirming there were local cases.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held an emergency cabinet meeting with the Civil Protection on Saturday.
Conte declared the mandatory isolation of all people who were in contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus and said the government was examining further measures to contain the outbreak.
More evacuees return to France
British authorities also announced on Sunday that four new people had been diagnosed with the virus, bringing the total of number of cases in the UK to 13.
“The virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the patients are being transferred from Arrowe Park to specialist NHS infection centres,” Public Health England said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a new plane repatriating 28 French people and 36 other EU citizens left Wuhan, China, on Friday, a diplomatic source confirmed to AFP.
The French evacuees will stay in quarantine in Calvados in Normandy.
This was the third plane sent from Paris to Wuhan, which has been under strict quarantine measures preventing travel for about a month.
This article has been corrected to say that ten towns are on lockdown. An earlier version said that there were twelve.
