Italy - Biggest outbreak outside Asia

The Italian government has placed a dozen towns in emergency quarantine and closed schools and universities across northern Italy after the number of reported coronavirus infections topped 100 on Sunday, in the largest outbreak outside Asia. Italian authorities said on Sunday that the total infection count had reached 132. Ninety of the cases are located in Lombardy where two elderly people have died in the outbreak.

Other cases include 25 in Veneto, including two in Venice, two in Emilia-Romagna and one reported case each in Lazio and Piedmont. Ansa, the Italian newswire, reported on Sunday that there were suspected but unconfirmed cases in Milan and the region of Umbria.

People have been barred from leaving the affected towns in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto unless they have special permission, under measures announced by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte on Saturday. Public gatherings and events were suspended in Milan and Venice. Mr Conte said Italy had adopted “rigorous and meticulous controls”.