EU raises coronavirus risk level to ‘high’ as Italy death toll passes 50
- EU economics commissioner says bloc is ready to deploy all measures to tackle impact of outbreak on European economy
- Number of new infections in Italy rises to 2,036, an increase of around 20 per cent from previous day
“The ECDC has announced today that the risk level has risen from moderate to high for people in the European Union. In other words, the virus continues to spread,” she said. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is providing daily updates on the progress of the outbreak.
Europe has not been as hard hit as China, but several member countries have had outbreaks and the EU is scrambling to coordinate the health response.
Italy has had it worst, with more than 2,000 people testing positive. The Italian Civil Protection Agency said on Monday that the number of new contagions had risen to 2,036, an increase of around 20 per cent compared to the previous day. The new figure includes 52 deaths, up from 34 on Sunday.
“Different member states face different challenges in relation to the Covid-19 outbreak. Italy is facing a situation which is not the same as other member states,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said.