In addition to Lombardy, there have also been cases in the regions of Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna and Lazio, which have led to the adoption of special measures in northern Italy to prevent its spread. In Venice the last two days of the carnivals have been suspended and all classes have been suspended in the provinces of Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont. The Italian Government has also banned the entry and exit of pollution outbreaks in Italy, as well as work activities and demonstrations.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has called on EU countries not to close their borders. Italy, in its view, is tackling the situation well and the EU must tackle the disease together, following the guidelines of the World Health Organisation and EU health institutions. The Commissioner has reported that the EU has already earmarked EUR 232 million to deal with coronavirus.

The EU wants to avoid the serious damage that the closure of borders and fears would have to the union economy, but at the moment it is closely linked to its role and the Italian stock market has suffered a significant fall, with falls of 4%. Losses of more than 3% have also been recorded for the other large European stock exchanges.

In China, 2,600 deaths have already been recorded, 150 of them on Monday. In Iran, things are not clear, and there are reports of 50 deaths, according to unofficial sources, and officials have said that there are fifteen deaths. South Korea has also officially confirmed seven deaths and 832 infections.