Coronavirus updates: US death toll hits 19; Italy weighs sweeping travel ban

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Coronavirus updates: US death toll hits 19; Italy weighs sweeping travel ban

The Italian government, reeling from a one-day jump in coronavirus cases by 1,200, is reportedly planning on Saturday to quarantine the entire Lombardy region, which includes Milan, banning travel into or out of the area of 10 million people, as well as all public activity, including weddings, funerals and the cinema, according to media reports.

Both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that they had seen a quarantine decree drawn up by the Italian prime minister's office that would also cover 11 provinces in the north, including the region where Venice is located.

Italy, one of the four countries hardest hit by the corona virus that originated in China, has reported more than 5,800 cases and 233 deaths. The number of infections has jumped by 1,200 since Friday.

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The decree would forbid citizens from leaving or entering the region and would extend similar restrictions in established "red-zones," including Venice, Parma and Modena, according to The Independent.

 

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