All the latest updates on coronavirus in Italy and around the world. After the weekend, the toll stands at 7 deaths and 229 people infected by the virus in our country. More than 2,600 victims worldwide and over 79,000 cases of contagion.
Follow Tuesday 25 February updates here
In addition to the 62-year-old man from Castiglione d'Adda, the other deaths are: an 80-year-old man, also from Castiglione d'Adda, who died at the Sacco hospital in Milan; an 88-year-old man from Caselle Landi, also in the province of Lodi; an 84-year-old man who was admitted to Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo; a 68-year-old woman from the Crema area who was admitted to the oncology ward in Crema; a 78-year-old man from Vo' Euganeo, in the province of Padua; and a 77-year-old woman found dead at home in the municipality of Casalpusterlengo, in the province of Lodi.
A team of experts from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Ecdc) has arrived in Italy, the country worst affected by coronavirus in Europe. The group "will support the Italian authorities in understanding the situation", the WHO stated. The focus will be "limiting further transmission between humans".
"This is the first day on which the measures are being applied correctly. The number of those infected is 172, and I can say that the population is responding positively to the initiatives taken"; with these words the president of Lombardy Attilio Fontana opened the press conference on Monday 24 February at 5:00 pm. "Yesterday there were attempts to stockpile food, but this is pointless because all supplies are functioning," he continued, because "life has not changed in any way, except for the restrictions we have put in place to control and reduce the spread of the virus." Fontana concluded by stating: "I am moderately confident of a gradual improvement. We must all work together to reach the final solution." The constant reminder is not to clog up the 112 emergency number, which should only be used in genuine emergencies. The number to call for information is 800.89.45.45.
So far, 1,500 swabs have been processed. Of the 172 infected, 70 per cent are male and 30 per cent female. "These are mainly people with a debilitated clinical picture and/or who are very elderly. This virus has a very evident contagious force, but we are in a contained situation," said Lombardy's Welfare councillor Giulio Gallera. "In the red zone, individuals claiming to be from the Red Cross introduced themselves, saying they were there to carry out a swab, a screening. But this is false information: no one was sent by anyone. Usually it is the carabinieri who attend, accompanied by a doctor and a nurse."
Watch the video of the press conference.
In total, according to Civil Protection department head Angelo Borrelli, confirmed coronavirus cases stand at 229, of which 172 are in Lombardy, 33 in Veneto, 18 in Emilia-Romagna, 3 in Piedmont, 3 in Lazio. Patients hospitalised with symptoms number 101; 26 are in intensive care; 94 are in home isolation. One person has recovered, while 7 have died.
The restrictions put in place to halt the contagion affect approximately 100,000 people in Lombardy (70,000) and Veneto (30,000), again according to Civil Protection. Schools and universities remain closed across northern Italy, except in Valle d'Aosta, until next week.
On the evening of Sunday 23 February, Lombardy Region president Attilio Fontana approved an ordinance, in agreement with health minister Roberto Speranza, valid for the entire Lombard territory. The ordinance was sent to all the prefects of Lombardy's provinces and provides for:
Here we have attempted to summarise the real-life effects for people in Lombardy, from cancelled events to closed schools, museums and venues.
An Alitalia flight carrying 300 people on board was blocked by local authorities in Mauritius, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. According to a statement from the company, "the disembarkation of 40 people originating from Lombardy and Veneto would have been subject to a local quarantine." Alitalia therefore announced that "at their own request, and in constant coordination with the Farnesina Crisis Unit," it is arranging their "immediate return, despite none of them having reported symptoms of any illness."
Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto Region, after deciding to cancel the Venice Carnival, on the morning of Monday 24 February updated the press on the number of infections in Veneto, which had risen to 32 with one death.
According to the director-general of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Covid-19 epidemiological emergency has the potential to become a pandemic, but it cannot yet be defined as such. The professor announced the arrival of encouraging news from China, where the recovery rate is on the rise, but expressed concern about Iran, South Korea, Cuba and Indonesia. He added that the nations involved must "commit to protecting, first and foremost, healthcare workers," and that the whole world is called upon to "join forces, because together we can win."
On a proposal by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the government approved a decree-law introducing urgent measures on the containment and management of the Covid-19 epidemiological emergency. The measure includes, among other things, the suspension of demonstrations, events and all forms of gatherings in public or private places; the suspension of early childhood education services, schools and school trips; the suspension of public access to museums; the suspension of public competitions and the activities of public offices, with the exception of the provision of essential and public utility services; the application of quarantine with active surveillance for those who have had close contact with people infected by the virus; and the requirement for anyone who has entered Italy from epidemiologically at-risk areas to notify the Prevention department of the relevant health authority.
China has chosen to ban the consumption of meat from wild animals and has announced a strengthening of controls on the illegal trade and black market in such animals, in order to protect the environment and the lives and health of its citizens. This, in fact, still appears to be the cause of the emergence of coronavirus. The decision was made by the Standing Committee of the thirteenth National People's Congress.
