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Coronavirus Outbreak spreads in Europe from Italy Several European countries have announced their first coronavirus cases, with all appearing to be linked to the growing outbreak in Italy. Austria, Croatia and Switzerland said the cases involved people who had been to Italy, as did Algeria in Africa. The first positive virus test has been recorded in Latin America - a Brazilian resident just returned from Italy. Italy has in recent days become Europe's worst-affected country, with more than 300 cases and 11 deaths. But its neighbours have decided closing borders would be "disproportionate". Health ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the EU Commission committed to keeping frontiers open at a meeting on Tuesday as new cases of the virus emerged throughout Europe and in central and southern Italy. "We're talking about a virus that doesn't respect borders," said Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza. His German counterpart Jens Spahn said the neighbours were taking the situation "very, very seriously" but acknowledged "it could get worse before it gets better". Media captionMark Lowen was on the ground at the edge of Italy's coronavirus lockdown area In the UK, schoolchildren returning from holidays in northern Italy have been sent home, with the government issuing new guidance to travellers. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there were no plans to stop flights from Italy, which attracts about three million British visitors each year. "If you look at Italy, they stopped all flights from China and they're now the worst-affected country in Europe," he said. In Austria, a young Italian couple who live in Innsbruck in the Tyrol were confirmed to have the virus. One of the pair worked at a hotel, which has been closed Switzerland said a man in his seventies living in Ticino, bordering Italy, had been infected in the city of Milan on 15 February and was now in isolation A man in Croatia who recently returned from Italy became the first confirmed patient in the Balkans In Spain's Tenerife, up to 1,000 guests were locked down in a hotel after an Italian doctor and his wife tested positive for the virus Spain reported its first case on the mainland, involving a woman in Barcelona who had been to northern Italy France and Germany also reported new cases involving people who had recently been to northern Italy What's the global picture? More than 1,000 people have been infected in South Korea, where 10 people have died. The country has the most infections outside China. Media captionIran's deputy health minister appeared unwell at a news conference before testing positive for the coronavirus In Brazil, local media reported on Tuesday that an initial test on a 61-year-old man who had recently been to northern Italy had come out positive. They said the man from São Paulo would be tested again for final confirmation. On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the virus could bring "severe" disruption to the US, with one official saying it was not a question of if but when the virus would become a global pandemic. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged all nations to "tell the truth about the coronavirus", saying that Washington was concerned that Iran may have concealed "vital details" about its outbreak. |
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