5 March
Italy's government announced on Wednesday that it is closing all schools and universities nationwide as the number of confirmed infections of the new coronavirus in the country have topped 3,000.
The announcement comes after cases of the new coronavirus in Italy jumped by 587 to 3,089, and 28 more people have died bringing the death toll to 107.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held a news conference on Wednesday in Rome. Conte said schools and universities will be shut down from Thursday to March 15.
In the country's northern regions that have been hit hard by the virus, the closure of schools and universities has already been in place.
Conte asked for support of the government's measures, and pledged to take all steps to contain the spread of the virus.
Other European countries are also stepping up measures to contain the virus, with cases in Germany and France reaching 262 and 285 respectively. French authorities in the suburbs of Paris and some eastern regions have closed down all schools.
The new coronavirus has also affected countries and regions outside Europe and mainland China, where cases topped 80,000. South Korea has 5,621 confirmed infected, while Iran has reported 2,922 cases.
NHK
