'Italy... 400 coronavirus cases... the most infected country outside of Asia'

'Italy sealed off entire towns and canceled major events after 400 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths made it the most infected country outside of Asia'

Sinéad Baker - Business Insider - February 26, 2020

[Right: Military officers outside the Duomo cathedral, closed by authorities because of the coronavirus outbreak, in Milan on February 24]

 REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo

* Italy is scrambling to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus within its borders as cases of COVID-19 soar.

* Italy has the most cases outside of Asia. As of Wednesday evening, 12 people there had died from the disease.

* The country has put almost a dozen towns under lockdown, canceled major sporting events, and debated closing its borders with neighboring countries.

* The two most infected regions are Lombardy and Veneto in the north of Italy, home to Milan and Venice. New cases are also being reported in southern Italy.

* Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Italy is scrambling to fight a coronavirus outbreak after a sharp spike in cases and deaths made it the worst-hit country outside of Asia.

As of Wednesday evening, 12 people in Italy had died from the virus. Italian authorities reported at least 400 cases of COVID-19 in the country, according to the BBC.

All the people who have died in Italy were elderly or had other health complications, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and the Associated Press reported.

The country has put 11 towns on lockdown to contain the virus' spread.

The two most infected regions are Lombardy and Veneto in the north, which contain the major cities of Milan and Venice. But the virus has also spread farther south, with regions including Tuscany and the island of Sicily also reporting cases on Tuesday and Wednesday.

con't....


************


I'll just re-post the following from the previous post:

There are--on average--10,000 germs on a human hand. It would always be a good idea, even aside from this concern, to have liquid hand cleaner handy during the day. Also, halo oral antiseptic spray is a good precaution to use prior to a lot of close contact, such as grocery shopping. Using latex gloves is an option as well. I think a box of 100 goes for about $11 at Lowes. Face masks can be observed occasionally in places like San Francisco. Think gas pumps, shopping cart handles, and door knobs/handles.

.