Italy cancels Venice Carnival in bid to halt spread of coronavirus

Venice Carnival cancelled as Italy imposes shutdown amidst the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe. A remote town, Codogno, has become the epicentre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak and strict quarantine measures are put in place especially in northern Italy.

Codongo:Italy scrambled to check the spread of the new viral disease amid rapidly rising numbers of infections in the country and a third death, calling off the Venice Carnival attended by thousands of revelers, scrapping major league soccer matches in the stricken area and shuttering theatres, including Milan's legendary La Scala.

Italy has by far the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, with 130. Three people have died so far.

Read:Italy reports 1st virus death, cases more than quadruple

Strict quarantine restrictions are in place in two northern "hotspot" regions close to Milan and Venice, with entry and exit into several towns in Veneto and Lombardy barred for around 50,000 people for the next two weeks without special permission.

Even outside the zone, many businesses and schools have suspended activities, and sporting events have been cancelled including several top football matches.

Elsewhere, authorities in South Korea and Iran are battling to control rising numbers of infections. South Korea has raised its coronavirus alert to the "highest level".

The new strain of coronavirus, which originated last year in China's Hubei province, has caused over 76,000 infections and 2,442 deaths in the country. The virus has since spread to at least 11 other countries.

(With inputs from IANS)