Coronavirus: Italy towns in lockdown after COVID-19 deaths

The Italian government on Saturday said it was was considering “extraordinary measures” to fight the coronavirus following the deaths of two citizens.

The outbreak in the Mediterranean country has caused authorities to place several towns on lockdown amid an increase in the number of cases to almost 40, as well as the two deaths reported on Friday and Saturday.

First deaths in Europe

The death of a 75-year-old woman on Saturday near the small town of Codogno in Lombardy came just a day after a 78-year-old man succumbed to the virus in the neighboring region of Veneto, marking the first deaths in Italy.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte expressed his sympathies for the two who passed away and said he had called an emergency meeting, as more than 50,000 people from about a dozen towns in two northern regions were asked to stay at home by authorities.

Growing cluster of cases

The cluster was located in a handful of small towns in the Lombardy region, according to the head of regional health, Giulio Gallera.

The first to fall ill from the virus was a 38-year-old Italian who met with someone who had returned from China on January 21, health authorities confirmed.

Read more: Opinion: Journalists’ expulsion a sign of China’s insecurity

The 38-year-old is now hospitalized in critical condition. His wife and a friend of his have also tested positive for the the coronavirus.

Tests were being administered on the 38-year-old’s doctor, who paid him a home visit, as well as on 120 people he worked with in the research and development branch of Unilever in the town of Casalpusterlengo, Gallera said.

Workers wear masks at the Unilever factory where a 38-year-old who contracted the virus worked in Casalpusterlengo, northern Italy

Three patients at the hospital in Codogno, where he went with flu-like symptoms earlier this week, also have infections as do five nurses and doctors.

Another three people, who frequented the same cafe in the Lombardy region, also tested positive Friday in addition to the eight people at Codogno hospital, Gallera added.

Towns in lockdown

A dozen towns in northern Italy are now effectively in lockdowns after a growing cluster of cases were reported with no direct links to the origin of the outbreak abroad. Streets across the Italian towns were deserted along with signs of closure outside public buildings.

Empty streets in the town of Codogno, near Lodi, after local authorities urged residents to remain indoors

The secondary contagions prompted authorities in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto to order the closure of schools, businesses and restaurants, as well as cancel sporting events and religious services. The Italian second division match between Ascoli and Cremonese was due to take place on Saturday afternoon but was postponed due to the outbreak. Cremona city is located at the heart of the northern cluster.

The mayor of Codogno ordered all restaurants, schools and public gathering spots, such as discos and gyms, be closed. The Health Ministry also advised residents to stay at home as a precautionary measure.

The Codogno hospital closed its emergency room, and staff were seen wearing masks as movers brought in new beds and furniture as the quarantine got underway.

In Casalpusterlengo, a large electronic message board outside the town hall read “Coronavirus: the population is invited to remain indoors as a precaution.” Local officials in the northern Italian town ordered the closure of local schools closed through Tuesday.

jsi/aw (AP, AFP)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW’s editors send out a selection of the day’s hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-italy-towns-in-lockdown-after-covid-19-deaths/a-52477823?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf