Italy Declares “National Emergency” As Coronavirus Cases Surge, Northern Italy On Lockdown: Virus Updates
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Sat, 02/22/2020
Summary:
Italy announces 76 cases, declares “national emergency”; Nothern Italy put on lockdown.
Japan cases triple in a week to 121
Chinese scientists find virus in urine
Experts propose 27 day quarantine, say 14 days likely not long enough
Cases outside China go exponential
32 UK and European citizens arrive back in UK on evac flight
Outbreak reported in South Korean psychiatric ward
WHO team visits Wuhan; will give Monday press conference
Iran reports 10 new cases, deaths climb to 6
San Diego says 200 under ‘medical observation’
Young woman infected five relatives without ever showing symptoms
South Korea cases surge 8-fold in 4 days to 433; country reports third death
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Update (1730ET): The first offshore coronavirus cluster was the Diamond Offshore cruise ship, where it now appears hundreds of infected passengers mingled with healthy tourists (and it now appears that Japan lied that it had tested passengers) with many returning to their country of origin now that the quarantine has been broken; the second cluster and third clusters are South Korea and Japan; the former has seen cases doubling every day for the past four, hitting 433 on Saturday in an exponential increase in new cases (see chart below), while Japan is said to have hundreds of cases as well.
And while the recent surge in Iranian cases has put much of the middle east on notice over the possibility that the embargo-crippled nation may have emerged as a middle eastern hub of Coronavirus cases, the latest confirmed offshore cluster to emerge IS Italy, where late on Saturday prime minister Conte announced that a total of 76 cases have been confirmed in 5 regions, declaring the Coronavirus situation a “National Emergency.” The Prime Minister also said that Italy has implemented a law decree to fight the coronavirus, and is committed to limiting the spread of the Coronavirus.
https://twitter.com/GrainStats/status/1231299302657576962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1231299302657576962&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fcoronavirus-deaths-outside-china-spike-who-team-visits-wuhan
And while Conte said that Italy won’t ask for a suspension of the Shengen pact (yet) which allows customs-free travel across Europe, but will adopt a decree to support the economy in certain areas, Italy’s Ansa reported that virtually all of Northern Italy is being put on lockdown and that all schools and universities in the affected areas to be closed until the end of the month.
NORTHERN ITALY WHERE CORONAVIRUS CASES REPORTED ON LOCKDOWN – ANSA NEWS
ALL SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES IN AFFECTED AREAS TO BE CLOSED UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH, SCHOOL TRIPS ABROAD ALSO CANCELLED – ANSA NEWS
Elsewhere, as the global pandemic spreads, Israel’s Ministry of Health said that it expected soon to close borders for non-residents.
Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its alert level for travel in Japan to Level 2. That level warns of “sustained community transmission” and calls for “precautions for high-risk travelers,” such as those with chronic medical conditions.
Though Japan has reported only one death – amid nearly 80,000 cases and almost 2,400 deaths worldwide – it has a relatively large number of cases, 121, largely due to the spread of the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship which it facilitated.
To summarize, Iran, Italy and South Korea reported new deaths Saturday. In total, there are some 77,000 cases worldwide, with over 2,300 deaths, almost all in China, but that imbalance is set to shift dramatically in the coming days.
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