Seventh coronavirus dead in Italy – consultations in Rome – abroad

Health ministers from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, France and Austria will meet in Rome on Tuesday for advice. Federal Councilor Alain Berset will take part in the meeting for Switzerland.

According to the authorities, at least seven infected people died in Italy by early Monday evening – all of them had previous illnesses.

Despite drastic measures such as restricted areas, the number of proofs of infection rose to more than 220, as civil defense chief Angelo Borrelli said in the evening in Rome. More than 25 people are in the intensive care unit.

On the previous evening there were still around 150 reported infected people. Italy is currently by far the country with the most cases recorded in Europe.

In Lombardy, which was particularly hard hit, ten municipalities in the province of Lodi were declared restricted zones. There security guards control who is allowed in and out.

Ministers are expected to discuss reactions to the spread of the virus at their meeting in Rome. Italian civil defense and the government in Rome had already spoken out against border closures. This is legally feasible, but has no practical use, according to civil protection.

A team of experts from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived in Italy on Monday.

The experts want to support the Italian health authorities in their fight against the virus and its efforts to contain it. “Covid-19 is a new virus that we have to take very seriously,” said WHO European Director Hans Kluge. Therefore, there is close cooperation with the Member States in order to prepare them for the onset of lung disease and possible local spread.

Infection risk low in Europe

According to a new EU assessment, the risk of infection with the virus is currently “low to moderate” for Europeans. All reported cases in the European Union so far have clear epidemiological connections, it said in a statement by the ECDC. Measures have been taken to limit further spread.

Despite the increasing number of cases in several countries, the WHO was optimistic. It was very encouraging that the number of cases in China declined, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva on Monday. The spread of the virus could still be stopped.

However, the numbers from Italy, Iran and South Korea are very worrying, he said. According to the WHO’s assessment, it has so far not been a pandemic but epidemics in individual countries.

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