The COVID-19 coronavirus has definitely brought our world to a halt. And in case you thought its only China where the disease is rapidly spreading, you couldn¡¯t be more wrong. Various cases of the novel coronavirus have been seen not just in Asian countries like South Korea and Thailand, but now it has also started to rapidly spread across Europe.?
Italy is struggling hard to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 as it has seen a considerable spike in the number of new cases. As of today, around 11 people have died of the coronavirus with over 300 confirmed cases.
The country has announced a lockdown on 12 towns. Most infections have come from regions Lombardy and Veneto from Northern Italy which include popular tourist destinations Milan and Venice. The Prime Minister is asking people to stay indoors as a part of quarantine with armed guards outside that¡¯ll enforce the lockdown.
This outbreak has also cancelled the annual Venice carnival, along with the shutdown of various tourist destinations to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
France too has been hit by the novel coronavirus. It reported its first death from the infection today. The patient was a 60-year old French citizen who was tested in Paris yesterday and passed away overnight. This was the 17th case of infection in France. Officials in France, as well as Austria, are monitoring their borders for visitors with IR temperature scanners to prevent infected people from entering the country.
Other European countries that have seen cases for the novel coronavirus include Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Sweden and Finland. But the number of infected people here are only a handful. Austria and Switzerland also got their first cases of the novel coronavirus yesterday.
Another place that has seen a major spike in coronavirus cases is South Korea, with over 1200 confirmed cases as the situation only gets worsened with every passing day. 12 people in South Korea have died due to infections.?
Of the 1,261 confirmed cases, 710 were linked to Daegu and 317 to North Gyeongsang Province, which includes Cheongdo, as per South Korean authorities. A US soldier belonging to US Forces in South Korea has also been tested for COVID-19 -- a first for US military.
Japanese authorities have confirmed 853 cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday. In order to contain and treat the novel coronavirus, Japan¡¯s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to implement measures in co-operation with local governments and medical institutions.?
He has asked organisers to cancel all the events for a two-week period to help contain COVID-19. Japanese authorities have also stated that they won¡¯t be allowing visitors from South Korean cities of Daegu and Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province, specifically nationals who have stayed in the regions over the last 14 days.