ROME, Jan 31, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – The Italian government declared a state of emergency on Friday to fast-track efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain after two cases were confirmed in Rome.
Italy had said Thursday it was stopping all flights to and from China
following the news that two Chinese tourists holidaying in Italy had tested
positive for the virus. The couple was being treated in isolation in Rome’s
Spallanzani infectious diseases institute.
The state of emergency, which gives regional authorities special powers
and cuts redtape, will last six months, according to Italian media.
Police sealed off the room where the couple had been staying at a hotel in
the centre of the capital. Other Chinese tourists who had arrived in Italy as
part of the same tour group were being tested for the virus. A 42-year old
Romanian who had been working at the hotel was also admitted for tests, media
reports said.
Italy’s civil aviation authority said all flights in the air before the
suspension was declared were permitted to land, and passengers’ temperatures
checked.
The planes were also permitted to take off again with passengers who had
been scheduled for the return leg.
The SARS-like virus epidemic which originated in the central Chinese city
Wuhan has so far killed 213 people and spread to at least 18 countries.
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared it an international
public health emergency.