Taiwan raises travel alert for Italy due to coronavirus outbreak

ROC Central News Agency

02/25/2020 04:15 PM

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday raised its travel alert for Italy to Level 2, citing a surge in the number of novel coronavirus cases there over the past week to more than 200.

The Level 2 alert, the second-highest on the CECC's three-level scale, advises people to remain vigilant and to take safety precautions while in Italy.

According to the CECC, Italy has confirmed 229 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and six deaths to date, which is the largest outbreak outside Asia.

In Italy, there have been reports of cluster infections of the disease linked to hospitals, and numerous cases in which the source of the infection could not be determined, the CECC said.

The outbreak is worst in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto, whose capitals are Milan and Venice, respectively, according to international media reports. All schools in the two regions have been closed for the week, and large gatherings have been banned, the CECC said.

In that region, about 10 towns have also been placed under lockdown, with no one allowed in or out and residents confined to their homes, according to the CECC.

To date, the CECC has issued its highest Level 3 travel warning for China, Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea; Level 2 alerts for Japan, Singapore and Italy; and Level 1 warnings for Thailand and Iran.

(By Chang Ming-hsuan and Chiang Yi-ching)

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