Italy declared a state of
emergency Friday after two cases of the new coronavirus were
found in Rome, a couple of Chinese tourists at a central Roman
hotel.
The couple arrived in Milan from Wuhan, the city at the
centre of the outbreak, on January 23.
They also stopped in Parma.
The couple have been admitted to Rome's Spallanzani Hospital,
which specialises in infectious diseases.
Their room at the Palatino Hotel on Via Cavour has been
cordoned off by health operators.
It was decontaminated on Friday.
The couple arrived in Rome by car, having hired it in Parma.
There is also a suspected case in the Veneto region, a minor
from the Treviso area who recently got back from a trip to
China.
Premier Giuseppe Conte has announced that all flights to and
from China will stop.
He announced a six-month state emergency, the first for a
virus-spread health risk in Italy, and earmarked five million
euros for the crisis.
For the SARS outbreak in 2003, a special commissioner was
appointed, civil protection chief Guido Bertolaso.
Health Minister Roberto Speranza said "the measures taken are
of a precautionary nature and put Italy at the highest level of
caution on the international plane".
Spallanzani Hospital Director Giuseppe Ippolito said "we are
almost wholly tranquil that there have not been other cases of
contagion".
He urged citizens to be calm because the virus can only be
transmitted after people show symptoms, and the Chinese couple
were isolated as soon as they did.
Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said it was too early to
estimate the potential impact of the virus on the Italian
economy.
Transport Minister Paola De Micheli said ports would remain
open but controls would be stepped up.
Some 68 Italians in Wuhan are set to airlifted back to Italy
at the weekend.
They will be held at the Cecchignola military base on the
outskirts of Rome for a 14-day 'light quarantine'.
Meanwhile at the port of Civitavecchia over 11,00 passengers
on board the Costa Smeralda cruise ship disembarked after being
held on the ship for a day because of a coronovirus scare
involving a Macao woman.
The death toll from the outbreak is now 213 in China and the
number of confirmed cases of infection has risen to at least
9,700.
An aircraft that will repatriate Italian citizens stranded in
Wuhan is expected on Sunday morning, February 2, multiple
sources told ANSA on Friday.
Under a draft agreement on the repatriation forged with
Chinese authorities, the plane would take off with the Italian
citizens on board after two hours, according to the sources.
Another source, however, said plans could still change, "even
substantially", based on the experiences of other countries.
For example, the evacuation of British citizens was postponed
due to British Airways' decision to halt its flights to and from
China, the source said, stressing that variations could consist
in an earlier flight or delayed departure.
Only citizens without symptoms of the virus will be allowed
to leave, according to the source.
Spouses of Italian nationals who have a Chinese passport
could not be allowed to leave, pending China's ravel
restrictions to contain viral contagion, according to the
sources.
A bar near the Trevi Fountain has barred Chinese from
entering amid rising coronavirus fears.
A sign in English and Chinese was put up Friday saying "due
to international security dispositions, all persons from China
are not allowed to enter this place. We apologise for the
problem".
The Palatino Hotel said it had started getting cancellations.
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