![]() ![]() ![]() The new decree, however, mirrors tough rules recently introduced in other major centres of the outbreak including South Korea, Iran and Japan which have all introduced measures from shutting schools to the cancellation of Friday prayers, and bans on large gatherings to contain the spread. Italy’s initial handling of the outbreak has come under scrutiny amid speculation that its regionally devolved health system and delays in dealing with initial cases allowed the virus to spread rapidly both within the country and far beyond its borders, with infectious individuals with links to Italy implicated in cases from Mexico to Africa and the UK. Parliament is hoping to approve the €3.6bn package by Friday. This follows €900m worth of financial relief measures for 11 towns in Lombardy and Veneto that are still under lockdown. The Italian government is seeking flexibility from Brussels on eurozone budget rules in order to permit a €3.6bn package to help businesses withstand the economic fallout. “The situation is dramatic for the whole sector,” said Luca Patanè, the president of the Confturismo-Confcommercio business confederation. The Netherlands is the latest country to advise against all but essential travel to northern Italy, and Tunisia said on Wednesday it would suspend passenger ferries to the north after one of its citizens tested positive after recently arriving from Italy by sea. Several airlines, including BA, Ryanair and easyJet, have cancelled some flights to Italy because of low demand, while American Airlines has suspended flights to Milan until 24 April. St Mark’s Square, Venice, emptied out by the coronavirus threat. The Italian economy has been badly damaged by the outbreak, with warnings on Wednesday that the tourism sector could suffer €7.4bn (£6.3bn) of losses.īars in Venice, usually overflowing with tourists, are offering free drinks to lure customers back, while Milan and Rome have emptied out after thousands cancelled bookings. “Those who cannot count on relatives to look after their children will have to take time off work, meaning a drop in productivity across all of Italy and enormous economic repercussions.” Ten towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto have been under lockdown for almost two weeks.Codacons, Italy’s main consumer association, said closing schools would have “enormous consequences” for Italian families. “We have to work for the country by staying within the rules and adopting lifestyles that halt the classic paths of transmission,” said Silvio Brusaferro, the president of the higher health institute.īrusaferro said on Tuesday that increasing the number of towns under quarantine was being evaluated. People with respiratory problems have been advised to stay at home, as have those over the age of 65. Operators of Napoli Servizi sanitise the San Paolo stadium in Naples on Tuesday. Italians have already received guidance to refrain from the traditional greeting of kissing on the cheek and hugging, to avoid crowded places and keep a distance of one to two metres from others. In the regions worst hit by the emergency, such as Lombardy, theatres and cinemas are already closed and will remain so. The government is reportedly considering further measures, including the closure of cinemas and theatres and the suspension of public events. It is a decision of impact I hope the pupils will return to school as soon as possible.”Īzzolina said the government was committed to making sure that “this essential public service may continue to be supplied remotely to all our students”. The education minister, Lucia Azzolina, told a press conference on Wednesday evening that closing school and universities “wasn’t a simple decision … we waited for the opinion of the scientific-technical committee and we decided to suspend teaching activities from tomorrow till 15 March. The country has recorded a total of 3,090 cases since the outbreak began, including 276 people who have recovered.Īmong those to have tested positive within the past 24 hours are two councillors from Emilia-Romagna. The virus has now spread to all but one of Italy’s 20 regions, with the majority – 1,497 – in Lombardy, followed by Emilia-Romagna (516) and Veneto (345). Schools have already been closed in the northern regions worst affected by the outbreak, including Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont and Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as parts of Liguria and Marche. ![]() “The health system risks going into overload, and we will have a problem with intensive care if an exponential crisis continues.” “We are focused on taking all measures for direct containment or delaying the spread of the virus,” the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said as he announced the most stringent containment measures outside Asia. ![]()
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