The country was also mulling measures to ban kissing and handshakes.
Italy, with 3,089 cases, has emerged as one of the worst affected countries outside China where the virus was detected at the end of Decemeber.
In Germany, health minister Jens Spahn told German lawmakers on Wednesday that the world was facing a pandemic.
Even though the World Health Organisation has refrained from declaring such a level, Spahn said: "The situation is changing very quickly ... What's clear is that we have not yet reached the peak of the outbreak."
Panic
The spread of the virus has prompted panic buying, hoarding and theft, along with warnings from global health officials that stocks of protective gear are rapidly dwindling.
More than 90,000 people have been infected and around 3,200 have died worldwide from the virus, the vast majority in China.
Despite the overt alarm over the disease, cancellation or postponement of trade fairs and sports events throughout the world, organisers of the summer Olympic games in Tokyo maintained a defiant tone on Wednesday following meetings in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
"Neither the word cancellation nor postponement was mentioned today during the executive board meeting," said Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Consistency
"I will not add fuel to the flames of speculation. We are fully committed to the success of the Tokyo Games."
Doubts over the viability of the event between 24 July and 9 August have risen as the coronavirus has rampaged around the world.
A thinktank comprising executives from the IOC, Tokyo 2020's organising committee as well as the Japanese government and the World Health Organisation was set up as the infection started to spread.
"We have this joint working group which holds regular meetings," Bach added. "We examine every question which may arise but we do not speculate on possible future developments."
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