The Italian government confirmed that Italy’s schools and universities would close on Thursday through March 15 as a precaution amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The nationwide school closure was decided on Wednesday as government ministers met to discuss new measures to combat the spread of the virus.
The government’s decision was announced just moments after health officials said the death toll from the novel virus had jumped to 107 and the number of cases had surpassed 3000.
Italy now has the highest number of fatalities outside China, while the number of cases reached 3089 as of Wednesday evening.
This is the total number of people in Italy confirmed to have contracted the virus since the beginning of the outbreak, including the deceased and around 300 recovered patients.
Schools were already closed this week in the northern regions worst hit by the emergency: Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna, and in some other municipalities around the country.
Other measures discussed by ministers include a controversial plan to hold all Serie A football matches behond closed doors until April 3.
A draft of the new emergency decree also contained a ban on public events across the whole country and provisions for the closure of all cinemas and theatres.
“We are focused on taking all measures for direct containment or delaying the spread of the virus,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.
“The health system risks going into overload and we will have a problem with intensive care if an exponential crisis continues.”
The Italian government on Wednesday also issued new instructions for citizens aimed at preventing the spread of the virus.
Rules in place for the next 30 days include no hugging or handshakes, while those aged over 75 are advised to stay at home.
“We have to work for the country by staying within the rules and adopting lifestyles that halt the classic paths of transmission,” Silvio Brusaferro, the president of the higher health institute, said.
Brusaferro said on Tuesday that increasing the number of towns under quarantine was being evaluated.
Ten towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto have been under lockdown for almost two weeks.
Most cases are still concentrated in the “yellow zone” regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna, but all but one of Italy’s 20 regions have now reported cases of the virus.
The overwhelming majority of the fatalities have occurred in Milan’s Lombardy region as well as Emilia-Romagna and Veneto.
The government reported the first death south of Rome on Wednesday, in the Puglia region.
Most of those who have died from the virus were elderly and had pre-existing health conditions.
