Coronavirus: Italy, South Korea and Iran try to stem the epidemic

Text by: RFI Follow

With more than 100 cases of contamination in Italy, eleven cities in quarantine - a first in Europe, an alert level raised to its maximum in South Korea after a worrying increase in cases of contamination with the new coronavirus, as well as eight confirmed deaths in Iran, the coronavirus epidemic appears to be spreading worldwide.

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With more than 100 confirmed cases of contamination, Italy becomes the country most affected by the new coronavirus in Europe. The government reacted very quickly by adopting a very strict decree on Saturday evening. Eleven cities, including ten in Lombardy, about sixty kilometers from Milan and another close to Padua in Veneto are affected by the quarantine. Nearly 52,000 inhabitants are therefore prohibited from entering or leaving their cities until further notice. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has warned that he is ready to send the army or the police to enforce the orders.

Two people died in Italy, including a 78-year-old retiree. They are the first Europeans to succumb to the virus on the old continent. As a preventive measure, the authorities have decided to cancel four championship football matches as well as the women's rugby match between Italy and Scotland.

South Korea hit hard

The other worrying focus and which has the highest number of patients after China is South Korea which decreed the maximum level of alert with 169 new cases registered this Sunday, bringing to more than 600 the number of people contaminated. The South Korean president called the situation in Daegu, the country's fourth city with 2.5 million inhabitants and in Gyeongsang province a " national crisis " .

[Reportage] Daegu, South Korea's worst affected city

Of the 169 new cases reported on Sunday, 95 are related to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the city of Daegu, according to the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). In total, more than 3,000 infected people are linked to this Christian sect. The contagion was caused by a 61-year-old woman who had a fever on February 10 and attended at least four religious services in Daegu before being diagnosed with coronavirus.

Eight dead in Iran

Some 9,300 members of the church have been quarantined or have to stay at home, said Jung Eun-kyeong, director of KCDC, adding that nearly 1,240 worshipers are showing signs of the viral epidemic.

Finally, in Iran, the health situation is also worsening. There are now eight deaths and 15 new cases of coronavirus contamination, bringing the number of infections to 43. As in Italy, the Iranian authorities have taken drastic measures to stem the epidemic. The Islamic Republic announced on Saturday the closure of educational institutions in 14 provinces, including Tehran.

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• coronavirus
• Iran
• Italy
• South Korea
• Health and Medicine

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