Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Stunned by the biggest surge of the coronavirus in Europe panicked shoppers in northern Italy are lining up outside of supermarkets and emptying shelves of supplies.  A great number of photos and videos showing empty shelves in various supermarkets in the country's north have been posted to Twitter.  The two most infected regions are Lombardy and Veneto in the north of Italy home to the major cities of Milan and Venice Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered a lockdown of a dozen towns late on Saturday in the hopes of containing the virus' rapid spread.  France and Austria have started monitoring their borders for visitors from Italy who could be carrying the virus, according to the Associated Press.  Paolo Gentiloni, European commissioner for the economy and a former prime minister of Italy, told CNBC Sunday that "there is absolutely no reason for panic." Here's what Italian stores look like amid coronavirus fears: Source: Bloomberg Source: Business Insider Source: Business Insider Source: Business Insider Source: Insider Source: Business Insider Source: Associated Press Source: Politico Source: CNBC You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Thousands tried to flee south after decree to confine people until 3 April was revealed Italy experienced its highest day-on-day rise in deaths from coronavirus on Sunday and was plunged into chaos after details of a plan to quarantine more than 16 million people were leaked to the press sending thousands into panic as they tried to flee and 14 provinces across the worst-affected northern regions have been shut down until 3 April as Italy grapples to contain the spread of a virus as deaths rose from 233 to 366 with the total number of cases so far at 7,375 Thousands crowded train stations or jumped into their cars after a draft decree banning people from leaving or entering the region was revealed by Corriere della Sera late on Saturday afternoon In Italy’s south dozens of police officers and medics wearing masks and hazmat suits waited in Salerno for passengers who had boarded overnight trains from Lombardy as fears mount over the virus’s potential spread “What happened with the news leak has caused many people to try to escape causing the opposite effect of what the decree is trying to achieve,” warned Roberto Burioni a professor of microbiology and virology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan “Unfortunately some of those who fled will be infected with the disease.” ShowThe World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus for which there is no specific cure or vaccine The UN agency advises people to: Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area.  NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days to avoid spreading the infection outside the home Thank you for your feedback.The northern regions of Lombardy Emilia-Romagna and Veneto account for 85% of the cases and more than 90% of the deaths while the provinces of Basilicata and Calabria have had just three and four A medical officer on board a high-speed train in Salerno during checks on passengers from the red zone Photograph: Ivan Romano/Getty ImagesMichele Emiliano signed an order on Sunday obliging all those arriving from the north in the coming hours to go into quarantine get off the bus at the next stop,” he wrote on Facebook mostly addressing people from the region who live in the north You are carrying the virus into the lungs of your brothers and sisters Three inmates died after a riot at a prison in Modena broke out when detainees were informed that the emergency decree banned visits from relatives to reduce infections Under the decree police and armed forces will patrol Lombardy’s access points such as train stations and motorway entrances and exits as well as border areas of the 14 provinces under lockdown across Emilia-Romagna People will only be able to leave the areas for emergency reasons and face fines and up to three months in jail for breaking the quarantine rules There has been some local opposition to the measures who described the inclusion of three provinces in his region train stations and airports are expected to be introduced on Sunday evening but the impact on flights is unclear with local judicial authorities to decide whether to suspend or not Alitalia on Sunday said it would suspend all national and international flights from Milan’s Malpensa airport and operate only a reduced service for domestic flights from the city’s Linate airport Serie A football matches were played behind closed doors despite a call from the country’s sports minister to stop the championship Parma and Spal play their Serie A football match in the empty Tardini stadium Photograph: Piero Cruciatti/APSome of those who remained in the quarantine area expressed support for the measures to contain Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak I feel a little anxious and scared,” said Alessia Scoma “But I agree with this measure and I feel ashamed for those who left Lombardy and fled so irresponsibly They risk infecting their loved ones and this is something that Outside the quarantine area there was concern for those now unable to leave “My mother stayed in Bergamo,” said Francesca Nava “She is 70 years old and has survived a serious illness the idea that something might happen to her The decree was approved by all national political parties and approved by the council of ministers on Sunday afternoon “The fact that the epidemic is still increasing substantially obliges us to take these measures to limit the freedom of people which of course are very extreme measures that I don’t think have ever been taken in any other democratic country,” Walter Ricciardi an adviser to the Italian health ministry on the coronavirus outbreak and member of the World Health Organization Passengers get off the train arriving from Milan in Naples. Photograph: Cesare Abbate/EPA“We have to be responsible and being responsible means taking measures in the interest of people, even if sometimes it is hard to understand.” Read moreConte said the leak was “unacceptable” and we cannot tolerate this,” he said on Sunday Schools and universities were already closed across Italy swimming pools and ski resorts in the new quarantine zones Bars and restaurants can only open between 6am and 6pm while shops must guarantee that customers stand at least one metre apart Weddings and funerals have also been banned Public transport services within all territories under quarantine are expected to continue A woman wears a mask as she walks in Milan called for a “change of lifestyle” in the city “We need to avoid contacts that are not strictly necessary,” he said in a video on Facebook Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on Italy’s already fragile economy especially as the northern regions produce the largest share of the country’s GDP The government on Thursday approved a €7.5bn (£6.5bn) package of financial measures to help the economy withstand the impact “We are facing an emergency but locking down a quarter of the country will cause immeasurable damage to Italian families,” Sala said I expect the government to move quickly to make the funds available Burioni said sacrifices were needed to halt the spread “The most important thing at this time is that each and every one of us stay home,” he added “We’ve seen rigorous behaviour in China that has had a very good impact – we need to do the same.” How to reduce your risk in a world of reusable cups and busy trains and buses and that it had been “misrepresented” – so go figure logic would suggest that most notes and coins will have previously been handled by large numbers of people (though ATMs quite often dispense notes that are either brand new or little used) paying with a contactless card where possible is probably the way to go Photographs of lengthy queues of supermarket shoppers in Italy – with people adhering to the new “social distancing” rule for public places requiring that they ensure they are 1 metre apart – have been viewed with alarm in the UK Here behaviour in our stores seems to have changed little apart from shelves being emptied faster than they can be restocked Yet in supermarkets and convenience stores (unless you are wearing gloves) it is virtually impossible to do a shop without touching a trolley or a basket handle picking up goods that someone else has handled or using touchscreens and self-scanning devices already smeared by others Hard surfaces like these are touched by staff and customers all day and can potentially hold viruses for several hours some shoppers may be wondering whether it is safe for fresh fruit and vegetables to be out in the open easily handled – and put back – by any number of strangers “Help yourself” salad bars and bakery counters – with accompanying serving tongs and spoons – could also present issues Some shoppers might feel uncomfortable thinking supermarket fruit and vegetables could have been handled by others Photograph: Bernadett Pogacsas-Simon/Alamy Stock Photo/AlamyWhile the medical advice is that it is most common for Covid-19 to be transmitted via coughs or sneezes rigorous hand-washing is recommended for everyone we are urging everyone to follow PHE’s advice: wash hands frequently with hot water and soap for 20 seconds or use alcohol hand gel Waitrose said: “We’re monitoring the latest advice from Public Health England and are advising our customers to do the same.” McDonalds says it is sanitising surfaces such as door handles self-order screens and tablets more regularly throughout the day some experts are urging all retailers to offer hand sanitiser gel on entrance and exit to stores of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene said: “Trying to make sure that people do not pass on or pick up the infection via hand contact on surfaces whilst they are in the store is important In a supermarket it is impossible – because everything customers do is about hand contact “I think the best way is to offer customers free hand gel at the entrance and politely ask them to use it to protect other customers whilst they are in the store Do the same thing for customers who are leaving to protect themselves against people who refused to comply with the earlier request – simple but effective “Hands are the last line of defence – if you don’t touch the mouth Starbucks has temporarily banned the use of reusable cups A sign explaining that drinks will not be served in reusable cups is seen inside a Starbucks in London REUTERS/Henry Nicholls Photograph: Henry Nicholls/ReutersCan I still use my reusable or refillable cup for hot drinks when I am out and about?Many of us have got used to carrying and using refillable cups when out and about – an eco-conscious move that typically guarantees a discount off the price of the drink to boot But in the UK coffee chains are having a rethink in response to the coronavirus outbreak, with Starbucks temporarily banning the use of reusable cups – typically made of plastic glass or bamboo material – for the safety of both customers and staff Customers still receive a 25p discount for bringing reusable cups with them but drinks are being served to them in paper cups to avoid the spreading of germs via the mouth Other chains, including Pret a Manger there isn’t any evidence that stopping the use of reusable cups will reduce the risk to customers or to our (staff) teams We’re obviously constantly reviewing guidelines from health officials and should the advice change then we will of course update our approach.” Some rail services into the big cities have been running at half their normal capacity this week as travellers have opted to work at home or postpone leisure trips into the capital If you are sitting on a train and within 1-2 metres of an infected person who coughs But the more likely risk is the virus lingering for 48-72 hours on a hard surface Keep phones in the other “clean” hand and wash both as soon as you can at your destination The Rail Delivery Group says the train companies are closely monitoring the latest Public Health England advice and planning for a range of different outcomes “We are ensuring that rail staff are kept aware of the latest advice to maintain good hand hygiene and keep surfaces clean particularly in customer facing locations,” it says Public transport doesn’t make it easy to remain the recommended 1 metre away from fellow travellers Photograph: Victoria Jones/PAWhat about the crammed tubes buses and trams?Anyone who has got on the Central line at Oxford Circus at peak time will know that it can be hard to stay more than 10cm away from your fellow passengers – never mind the recommended 1 metre passengers have been advised to sit opposite an empty seat something of which passengers in London can usually only dream Transport for London told Guardian Money that it had unveiled an “enhanced cleaning regime” to improve the hygiene levels on the capital’s public transport Additional substances that kill viruses and bacteria are being used across the London Underground and bus networks while the busiest stations will be cleaned more regularly than usual Bus parts that are regularly touched – such as poles and doors – will be wiped down with a strong disinfectant every day Last week the German authorities asked people to work from home and to consider walking or cycling if they had to go to work Walking or cycling alone is clearly less risky than being on a packed tram or tube train Halfords has reported a 30% rise on the sale of commuter-friendly folding bikes Car interiors can contain more germs than a kitchen sink – it’s worth cleaning them Photograph: AlamyI drive to work – what about the car?Back in 2018 a study found that three of the five cars tested contained more bacteria than the inside of a bin lid the car interiors also contained more germs than a kitchen bench top and sink Antibacterial surface cleaning wipes such as those from Dettol claim to kill almost all bacteria and viruses – including coronaviruses You should look for products that contain isopropanol – if there are any left on the shelves If you are regularly taking passengers in your car a wipe down at the end of the journey won’t do any harm A lot of it is what we all know already: the most effective way to prevent the spread of infection is to wash your hands regularly Both staff and any visitors need to have access to such facilities Routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces (such as phones Clearly that will be particularly important if your keyboard or desk phone is used by other people cutlery and so on in shared kitchen areas are properly washed up and dried thoroughly before being put away in cupboards Avoid the “communal sharing” of things such as crisps and sandwiches Italy is now the European epicenter for the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan Authorities still don't know where the coronavirus originated in Italy which makes it hard to track and stop the outbreak Cases have also been confirmed in Tuscany and Sicily Authorities put 12 towns on lockdown and closed some of the country's most famous attractions to curb the virus' spread Here's how Italy is dealing with the coronavirus Source: Business Insider Source: The Washington Post Source: Financial Times Source: Wall Street Journal Source: FT Source: AP Source: Washington Post People caught entering or leaving outbreak areas to be fined Italian authorities have implemented draconian measures to try to halt the coronavirus outbreak in the north of the country including imposing fines on anyone caught entering or leaving outbreak areas as a third person was confirmed to have died on Sunday The number of cases of the virus in the country has risen to 152 Police are patrolling 11 towns – mostly in the Lombardy region where the first locally transmitted case emerged – that have been in lockdown since Friday night The latest victim died in the Lombardy city of Crema so was in a very compromised situation and also had coronavirus,” said Giulio Gallera Measures were stepped up after a 78-year-old Italian man infected with the virus died in the Veneto region on Friday A postmortem performed on a 77-year-old woman in Lombardy on Saturday confirmed that she was also infected but it is unclear if the virus caused her death The woman is reported to have been recovering from pneumonia and had visited the emergency unit of a hospital in Codogno a few hours after the first man confirmed to have contracted the disease the head of Italy’s civil protection service said so far 152 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the country and a Chinese couple being treated for the illness in Rome Thank you for your feedback.Austria suspended train services over the Alps to Italy for about four hours late on Sunday before restarting them after two travellers tested negative for coronavirus A train carrying about 300 passengers from Venice to Munich in Germany was halted on the Italian side of the Brenner Pass before being allowed to continue its journey after the two tested negative About 50,000 residents in the towns under lockdown have been told to stay home and avoid social contact, while schools, shops and businesses – apart from chemists – have been closed and festivities and sporting events including Serie A football matches and the final two days of the Venice carnival have been cancelled. Schools and universities will also be closed for at least a week in Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, while similar measures have been taken in Liguria and Alto Adige. Milan fashion week has also been affected by the outbreak. Giorgio Armani, whose show was scheduled for 4pm on Sunday afternoon, announced on Saturday night that guests should not come to the venue. Instead, the collection would be shown to an empty room. “The decision was taken to safeguard the wellbeing of all his [Armani’s] invited guests by not having them attend crowded spaces,” said a press release. Models still presented the clothes, with the show streamed on the brand’s website, as well as on Instagram and Facebook. said: “We have adopted a decree to protect the health of Italians which is our priority and which ranks first in the list of constitutional values.” He urged people to “have faith in the political and scientific institutions Locals wearing face masks were already lined up outside a supermarket in the town of Casalpusterlengo then allowed to enter in groups of 40 inside the store to stock up on provisions Although one woman in the crowd downplayed the virus telling other shoppers it was not fatal if properly treated “It’s inhuman,” one man who gave his name as Sante told AFP “Fighting over four sandwiches is just disgusting.” Hundreds of colleagues who worked with the first infected man were being tested but it was still unclear whom he had contracted the illness from was initially thought to have caught the virus after meeting a colleague who had recently returned from China the person who was considered to be ‘patient zero’ was not,” said Attilio Fontana and we will try to understand if one of the two is correct.” The 38-year-old recently took part in a number of races Three other cases in Lombardy are elderly people who frequented a bar in Codogno owned by the father of the man who went running with the 38-year-old The man who died in Veneto was diagnosed with pneumonia a few weeks ago but had not travelled to China nor come into contact with anyone who had we haven’t managed to limit the spread of the virus,” said Roberto Burioni a professor of microbiology and virology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan “And we need to face the fact that it is spreading quickly People should try not to panic but limiting the spread is Those who have been in contact with someone infected must isolate themselves Crowded places should also be avoided; sacrifices need to be made to try to overcome the virus.” The first two cases of the virus in Italy were those of a Chinese couple from Wuhan who arrived in the country on 23 January They were being treated at Spallanzani hospital for infectious diseases in Rome A group they were travelling with were released from hospital this month after being quarantined for 14 days A third case in Rome was that of an Italian man who had caught the virus in China asked for all schools to be closed for a week I don’t imagine everything shutting down and being cancelled but events that are not obligatory and which can be postponed This article was amended on 24 February 2020 An earlier version incorrectly placed the latest Lombardy coronavirus death in the “city of Cremona”; the death was in the city of Crema Italy announced a sweeping quarantine on Sunday for its northern regions igniting travel chaos as it restricted the movement of a quarter of the countries population in an effort to halt the relentless march of the coronavirus Photograph: Carlo Cozzoli/REX/Shutterstock Photograph: Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images Vencato grew up playing basketball in the youth sector of Assigeco Casalpusterlengo where Luca wore the jersey of Casalpusterlengo until the 2015/16 season with numbers in constant and progressive growth Vencato moved to Mantova (always in Serie A2) where he averaged 8 points and 4 assists overall Luca made the transition to Ferrara (always in the second national championship) where he remained for three consecutive seasons collecting 7 points and 4.5 assists on average the twenty-nine years old he averaged 10,5 points and 6 assists per game in the first four months of the current sports season 4,5 rebounds and 6,9 assists in the 16 games played with the Lombard team Vencato, who already yesterday he trained with the team, like the returning Cusin, he will be on the pitch on Sunday 29 December Vitrifrigo Arena in Pesaro (live on Rai 2) for the comparison that closes the 2024 of the blue and white. This Page Has Washed AwayLooks like this page has disappeared with the tide — perhaps it’s buried in the sand at Vazon or drifting off Petit Port The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden EasyJet launches new direct flights from Naples British budget airline EasyJet will launch new flight routes from Naples Capodichino airport this week Direct services to Luxembourg and Strasbourg will be operated from Monday while services to Albanian capital Tirana will start on Thursday Flights to all of the three above-mentioned destinations will run twice a week Former German Chancellor Merkel presents new memoir in Milan Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be in Milan on Wednesday to present and sign copies of her new memoir The event will be held in the northern city’s Palazzo Clerici from 6.30pm and will be co-hosted by Italian politician and journalist Walter Veltroni Freedom charts the former chancellor's childhood in East Germany her political rise within the Christian Democrats her election as Germany's first female chancellor and the following 16 years in office Merkel's memoir is already the most successful book of the year in Germany, having sold some 200,000 copies in just one week following its release, according to Deutsche Welle Rail and local public transport passengers around Italy may face delays or cancellations on Friday, December 13th, as staff at both public and private operators plan to take part in a 24-hour general strike The walkout was called by Italy’s USB trade union in late October in protest against national economic policies which “increase social inequalities” and “encourage deindustrialisation” Besides the rail and local public transport sectors ferry services to and from Italy’s major islands and taxi services around Italy are also expected to be affected by the walkout The general strike shouldn’t have an impact on air travel, according to the latest Italian media reports As is the case with all transport strikes falling on a weekday in Italy operators will be legally required to provide some essential services (or servizi minimi) on Friday Further information about such services is expected to become available closer to the date of the strike will celebrate Saint Lucy (or Santa Lucia) on Friday The customs and traditions associated with the feast day vary greatly from city to city Yearly celebrations in Syracuse – Saint Lucy’s hometown – involve a parade where a precious silver statue of the saint is carried through town before being placed on display in the Basilica di Santa Lucia al Sepolcro READ ALSO: How and why Italy celebrates Santa Lucia on December 13th The statue is then returned to the Duomo di Siracusa cathedral in a second parade taking place seven days later You can find out more about Santa Lucia celebrations in Italy here Italian PM Meloni meets Palestinian President Abbas Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet Palestinian President President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome on Friday The meeting will be held in Meloni’s office in Palazzo Chigi Official details about the summit haven’t been announced yet but talks are expected to be centred on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict Meloni and Abbas first met in late October 2023 in Cairo After meeting Abbas on Friday, Meloni is scheduled to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Nakib Mikati on Saturday A series of changes to the Italian Highway Code (Codice della Strada) tightening up driving laws and penalties in a bid to reduce road fatalities are set to come into effect on Saturday after being approved by parliament in late November The upcoming measures include a crackdown on DUI, mobile phone use and speed limit violations, as well as new rules for newly licensed drivers Plans to change Italy's Highway Code were first announced in June 2023 as Deputy PM and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini pledged to introduce “more rules more safety on Italian roads” after the number of road deaths in the country rose to 3,120 in 2022 Though the number of road deaths registered a 3.8-percent decrease in 2023, dropping to 3,039, Italy still had one of the highest road fatality rates in the EU Passengers flying to, from or within Italy may face disruption on Sunday, December 15th, as staff at TechnoSky, which manages hardware and software systems used to provide air navigation services across Italy, plan to hold a 24-hour strike ENAV air traffic controllers at Milan Malpensa Milan Linate and Bergamo Orio al Serio plan to stage a four-hour strike – from 1pm to 5pm which are backed by some of Italy’s major transport unions may result in flight delays or cancellations at airports around the country services scheduled to depart from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm are protected from strike action and should therefore go ahead as normal on Sunday Please log in here to leave a comment This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The European School published the precautionary statement on its website The International School of Luxembourg notified parents via text message The European school calls for students who visited a high-risk region to stay at home for at least 2 weeks The following countries or regions count as high-risk areas: Whereas the ISL only counts China as HR according to World Health Organisation guidelines Italy reported Monday its fifth death from the new coronavirus as the number of people contracting the disease continued to mount Eleven towns -- 10 in Lombardy and one in neighbouring Veneto -- are under lockdown with some 50,000 residents prohibited from leaving Regional authorities have ordered gathering spots Luxembourg has not yet recorded a case of coronavirus Ministry of Health not yet considering increased coronavirus screening