Zaia told reporters on Sunday that today's planned events will go off as planned. From the evening, a ban on all events - including sports - will be introduced in the city through March 1.
The carnival dates back to the Middle Ages and attracts many tourists every year. This year, it has been running since February 8 and was scheduled to end on Tuesday, but is now abruptly canceled after Venice found its first two cases of coronavirus.
The outbreak in northern Italy has so far resulted in 79 cases of infection and two deaths. Most infected, 39, have been found in the Lombardy region.