Italy quarantines quarter of its population to limit COVID-19 advance

In an unprecedented move, Italy has quarantined a quarter of its population in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus. While the global death toll has risen past 3,400, more people have now recovered from the virus than are sickened by it.

Rome:Italy announced a sweeping quarantine early on Sunday, restricting the movements of about a quarter of its population in a bid to limit contagions and end the virus advance at the epicenter of Europe's COVID-19 outbreak.

Shortly after midnight, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree affecting about 16 million people in the country's prosperous north, including the Lombardy region and at least 14 provinces in neighboring regions. The extraordinary measures will be in place until April 3.

Around the world, more and more countries were bracing for a surge in virus cases. Western countries have been increasingly imitating China, where the virus first emerged late last year, and which has suffered the vast majority of infections, by imposing travel controls and shutting down public events.

In its daily update, Italy's civil protection agency said the number of people with the coronavirus rose by 1,247 in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883. Another 36 people also died as a result of the virus, taking the total to 233.

Around the world, events and festivals were called off. Travel restrictions and warnings were issued. A nose-dive in tourist traffic and possible disruptions to supply chains set off fears of a worldwide economic slowdown.

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Saudi Arabia banned spectators at any sports competitions starting Saturday. The NBA, as well as British and Japanese sports teams are considering doing the same, as baseball and soccer seasons are starting.

Of particular concern are passenger-packed cruise ships, many of which are confronting their own virus problems.

While the global death toll has risen past 3,400, more people have now recovered from the virus than are sickened by it. As of Saturday, nearly 90,000 cases have been reported in Asia; more than 8,000 in Europe; 6,000 in the Mideast; about 450 in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and fewer than 50 cases reported so far in Africa.

In Iran, fears over the virus and the government's waning credibility has become a major challenge to leaders already reeling from American sanctions. More than 1,000 infections were confirmed overnight, bringing the country's total to 5,823 cases, including 145 deaths.

South Korea, the hardest-hit country outside China, reported 93 new cases on Sunday morning, taking the total to 7,134, with 50 deaths overall.

China on Sunday morning reported 44 new cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest level since it began publishing nationwide figures on Jan 20, and 27 new fatalities.

But while infections were increasing more slowly, the country was struck anew by tragedy: A hotel used for medical observation of people who had contact with coronavirus patients collapsed on Saturday, killing at least 4 people.

The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in Washington, US reached 16, although that figure could be higher, based on figures released by the nursing home at the center of the outbreak.

Even islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean have not been spared, with the tiny archipelago nation of the Maldives reporting its first cases. Health authorities there locked down two of its tourist resorts after two expatriate workers tested positive for the coronavirus.

(With inputs from AP)