Chinanews.com, February 24th. According to Agence France-Presse, the fourth case of neocoronary pneumonia died in Italy on the 24th. The deceased was an 84-year-old man.
Angelo Borrelli, director of the Italian Civil Defence Department, said on the 23rd that more than 150 people in the country have tested positive for the virus. Italy is the country with the highest number of confirmed new cases of pneumonia in Europe.
The health department in Lombardy, northern Italy, said this was the third fatal case in the region. Villages in Lombardy have been closed down and security measures have been taken to stop the spread of the epidemic.
According to reports, 11 towns in Italy have been blocked and about 50,000 residents have been banned from going out. Local authorities have ordered the closure of gathering places such as bars, restaurants and ballrooms.