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Reuters

Business

Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones

Coronavirus death toll jumps to 107 in Italy, all schools shut

A man wearing a protective face mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus walks past the Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Italy closed all schools and universities and took other emergency measures on Wednesday to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe's worst-hit country as the death toll and number of cases jumped.

The total number of dead in Italy rose to 107 after 28 people died of the highly contagious virus over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said.

People walk in Saint Peter's Square, after the Italian government decree to close schools, cinemas, and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other at the Vatican, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said schools and universities all over the country would be closed from Thursday until at least March 15. Only those in the northern regions most heavily affected by the epidemic have been closed so far.

The number of cases since the outbreak surfaced 13 days ago rose to 3,089 from 2,502 on Tuesday. Of those who contracted the disease, about 3.5% had died, the head of the agency, Angelo Borrelli, said.

The government adopted a decree to try to slow infections which have been rising by about 500 per day.

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a globe, after the government decree to close cinemas, schools and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other, in Milan, Italy, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

"Our hospitals, despite their efficiency, risk being overwhelmed, we have a problem with intensive-care units," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.

The decree orders "the suspension of events of any nature ... that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre (yard) to be respected."

It calls for the closure of cinemas and theatres and tells Italians not to shake hands or hug each other, and to avoid "direct physical contact with all people."

An empty classroom of the I.T.C Di Vittorio - I.T.I. Lattanzio school is pictured after the government decree to close schools, cinemas, and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other in Rome, Italy, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

It also orders all major sporting events, including top flight Serie A soccer matches, to be played in empty stadiums.

The school closures caused jubilation among some children and mixed reactions from parents.

"I hoped for this decree because I feared an outbreak at school," said Massimiliano Del Ninno, father of a Rome primary school student. "Even if we are dealing with an age group that doesn't seem to be at risk, they could have been carriers."

A boy waits at a tram stop near Piazza Venezia, after the government decree to close schools, cinemas, and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other in Rome, Italy, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Clarissa Mazzei, a 30-year-old mother of three, called it "tragic ... for the students, and also for the parents."

Deputy Economy Minister Laura Castelli said the government was aware of the problems it would cause families and was preparing a directive to allow a parent to stay home from work to look after children.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte speaks next to Italian Education Minister Lucia Azzolina, as he addresses the media, announcing a decree that will close cinemas, schools in order to contain the coronavirus, in Rome, Italy March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

VIRUS SPREADS SOUTH

The virus outbreak remains centred on the wealthy and populous region of Lombardy, around Milan, and the neighbouring regions of Veneto and Emilia Romagna, but cases are spreading around the whole of the Italian peninsula and Sicily.

Rome's Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital said it had 20 coronavirus patients, while others were being treated at home in and around Italy's capital and largest city.

A woman walks in a corridor at the I.T.C Di Vittorio - I.T.I. Lattanzio school after the government decree to close schools, cinemas, and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other in Rome, Italy, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Emilia Romagna's regional government said on Wednesday two of its members had tested positive and Industry Minister Stefano Patuanelli is in self-imposed isolation after coming into contact with a patient, though he himself had tested negative.

The outbreak has already heavily disrupted life in the north, with cinemas and museums closed in some regions and many events cancelled including fashion shows and trade fairs.

On Wednesday, the government instructed public sector managers to reorganise offices to help staff work from home.

Italy's chronically weak economic growth looks sure to suffer, with the tourist sector taking a huge hit from a wave of cancellations.

Industry lobby Confindustria said the country was in recession, forecasting a fall in gross domestic product in both the first and second quarters of this year.

Confturismo, the tourist industry's confederation, said the sector was "on its knees."

A man walks in a corridor at the I.T.C Di Vittorio - I.T.I. Lattanzio school after the government decree to close schools, cinemas, and urge people to work from home and not stand closer than one metre to each other in Rome, Italy, March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

It forecast a drop of some 32 million in the number of Italian and foreign tourists in March-to-May, with a loss to the industry of about 7.4 billion euros ($8.23 billion).

Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri has promised tax breaks and other measures for the affected sectors worth 3.6 billion euros. A government source told Reuters on Wednesday this may be raised to 4.5 billion, or 0.25% of GDP.