Coronavirus: seven dead in Italy and more than 220 infected – the highest reported number outside Asia
- Venice Carnival cancelled, landmarks like Milan’s Duomo cathedral shut, and schools, museums and universities closed in much of northern Italy
- All deaths, including four announced on Monday, concerned elderly people, most of them with pre-existing health conditions
Italy on Monday reported seven deaths and more than 220 novel coronavirus cases, amid growing anxiety about the spread of the virus in Europe.
Two virus clusters developed last week in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Infections have also been reported in the neighbouring regions of Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont.
Civil Protection Agency chief Angelo Borrelli reported a total of 229 contagions, including the dead and three older cases in Rome, one of whom recovered and was dismissed from hospital on Saturday.
The figures make Italy the country with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, and the fourth in the world after China, Japan and South Korea.
All the deaths, including four announced on Monday, concerned elderly people, most of them with pre-existing health conditions. A woman who died on Sunday was a cancer patient.
In response to the crisis, the Italian government decided on Saturday to seal off 10 towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto linked to the virus clusters, isolating more than 50,000 people.