Coronavirus: Italy to close all schools as deaths rise - BBC News, BBC News

rome — Image caption Italy is home to Europe’s largest coronavirus outbreak

Italy has confirmed that it will shut down all schools from Thursday for days as it battles to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

All schools and universities are to close until March, Officials said.

A total of people have now been killed by the coronavirus in Italy, which has the most serious outbreak in Europe. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the country health service risked being overwhelmed.

Most of the more than 3, 11 cases are in the north but others have been confirmed in 28 of Italy’s (regions.

) Globally about 3, (people have died and more than

, have been infected, the vast majority in China, where the virus emerged late last year.

The World Health Organization has so far stopped short of declaring a pandemic – an epidemic spreading across the world through local transmission – but on Wednesday Germany’s health minister said the coronavirus now met the definition.

“The situation is changing very quickly … What’s clear is that we have not yet reached the peak of the outbreak, “Jens Spahn said.

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Media caption The BBC Health team talk you through what the NHS says about protecting yourself from Covid –

Confirmed cases have been reported in countries, with Italy, Iran and South Korea emerging as hotspots outside China.

What do I need to know about the coronavirus?

HOW IS THE UK PLANNING FOR AN OUTBREAK:

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HOW TO SELF-ISOLATE: What you need to know

WHERE ARE WE WITH A VACCINE? Progress so far
)

A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE OUTBREAK: Virus maps and charts

What is Italy doing?

Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said she hoped students would be able to resume classes as soon as possible.

“My commitment is to ensure that the essential public service, albeit from a distance, is provided to all our students,” she said.

Local media said health experts and Italy’s health ministry had been in favor of closing schools. Health experts also want football matches to be played behind closed doors . Several games have already been postponed.

Italy’s death toll from the virus jumped by to 150, the Civil Protection Agency said on Wednesday. Most of the deaths have been in the Lombardy region around Milan and in northern areas near Bologna and Venice.

Earlier measures including the quarantine of (towns near Milan with a combined population of , have failed to stop the spread of infections.

Italy is now also considering closing cinemas and theaters and banning public events, Reuters reported, quoting a draft government decree.

The decree also tells Italians to avoid hugging and shaking hands as much as possible.

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Media caption Quiet on Venice streets amid coronavirus fears

Which other countries have closed school?

Mainland China and Hong Kong, Japan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have already closed schools or are about to do so – affecting millions of schoolchildren.

France has also closed about 320 schools in areas with the largest numbers of coronavirus infections.

Both primary and secondary schools have been shut in an area north of Paris where the main cluster of French cases has emerged and where two people who have died of the virus lived.

What else is happening?

Israel is imposing new travel restrictions on five European countries – France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland

There are fears of

global shortages of some common drugs

after India limited the export of certain medicines

Saudi Arabia has suspended the lesser Muslim pilgrimage, or Umra, for Saudi citizens and residents of the Gulf kingdom

Iraq is to suspend all trade with Iran and Kuwait for a week. The northern Kurdistan region said religious ceremonies at mosques, churches and temples were banned until further notice The US has recorded new cases in New York while the city of Los Angeles has declared a public health emergency

Australians have been stockpiling toilet paper After the country’s first two deaths were reported

German airline Lufthansa says it is grounding (of its) aircraft due to “extraordinary circumstances”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of the growing economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, predicting a drop in global growth below last year modest level But International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach insisted this summer’s Games in Tokyo would go ahead as planned

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