Now Italy spreads coronavirus to Austria AND Croatia: Health officials confirm three more cases of the deadly infection have made their way out of the country
- The confirmed cases have been announced after a surge in infections in Italy
- Both of the patients are Italian nationals and thought to have caught it there
- They were diagnosed in Tyrol in western Austria, a popular skiing destination
- More than 80,000 people around the world have caught the coronavirus
Austria and Croatia have become the latest countries to declare their first cases of the coronavirus as it tightens its grip on Europe.
All three of the new cases – two in Austria and one in Croatia – are among young people who have travelled to northern Italy, where around 300 people are infected.
The Austrian cases are in Italian nationals who live in the Tyrol region of Austria, while the Croatian patient fell ill after returning from a trip to Milan at the weekend.
Italy has seen a dramatic surge in cases since Friday, with the number of infections soaring from just six to at least 283 in a matter of days. Seven people have died there.
More than 80,000 people across the world have been infected, while at least 2,700 are known to have died from the pneumonia-causing virus.
They are two Italians who live in the province and were probably infected in Italy’s Lombardy region, Tyrol governor Guenther Platter was quoted as saying by local media (pictured, a view of the Brenner highway in Tyrol)
A public broadcaster in Austria, ORF, said the patients there have slight fevers and are being looked after at a hospital in Innsbruck.
They are a pair of 24-year-olds who are believed to have travelled to Lombardy recently and then become ill after returning home.
Austrian officials said they are thought to have contracted the virus while in Italy, then returned to Tyrol – one of two provinces on the border between the countries.
The government in Croatia said it had confirmed a case of COVID-19 in a young man who had stayed in Milan between Wednesday, February 19 and Friday 21.
The following advice applies to people who have travelled back from the named areas since Wednesday, February 19.
- People travelling back from the Italian areas of Castelgerundo, Terranova dei Passerini, Bertonico, San Fiorano, Maleo, Codogno, Somaglia or Fombio should self-isolate for two weeks when they get home and call NHS 111.
- People travelling from anywhere in Italy north of – but not including – Pisa, Florence and Rimini should self-isolate only if they feel ill.
- Anyone returning home from Iran should self-isolate for two weeks and phone NHS 111 – even if they feel healthy.
- Anyone returning from the South Korean cities of Daegu or Cheongdo should self-isolate and phone NHS 111 even if they feel healthy.
- People should self-isolate and phone NHS 111 only if they develop flu-like symptoms after returning from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar or Laos.
Existing advice, which applies more broadly to at least the past fortnight, says people should follow the self-isolation protocol if they feel ill after coming home from China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau.
Anyone coming home from the Hubei province of China should self-isolate even if they don’t feel ill.
He is now in hospital in Zagreb, the capital city, and has only ‘mild symptoms’.
Health Minister Vili Beros said: ‘For now he shows signs of a milder disease and we hope it will remain that way.’
The cases in Croatia and Austria confirm fears that a sudden outburst of cases in the tourist-heavy north of Italy could spread the virus around the continent.
The Lombardy region, around Milan and into the Alps, has borne the brunt of the outbreak there.
Around 200 people were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 over the weekend.
The sudden outbreak sparked panic across Europe, with buses and trains carrying Italian passengers across borders halted after those on board reported symptoms.
The government has shut down at least 35 roads surrounding a cluster of towns in Lombardy, where the virus began to spread rapidly.
Those who attempted to leave were reportedly threatened with three-month prison sentences.
There have also been confirmed cases in the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna regions.
In lockdown are around a dozen places to the south of Milan including Castelgerundo, Terranova dei Passerini, Bertonico, San Fiorano, Maleo, Codogno, Somaglia and Fombio.
A World Health Organization spokesperson today said that Italy’s shutdown measures were ‘pretty strong’ and should successfully contain the virus.
The UK Government today updated its advice and told all Britons who have been to northern Italy to self-isolate at home if they start to feel ill.
The updated advice has also told people to stay at home for two weeks if they have returned from Iran or the cities of Daeugu or Cheongdo in South Korea, which have been battered by the deadly infection.
Travellers from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have been told to self-isolate if they have flu-like symptoms, such as a cough or a fever.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sky News today: ‘We’re saying that those who have been in Northern Italy, if they feel ill [with] flu-like symptoms, then you should self-isolate, stay at home, try not to see other people.
‘If you’ve been to Italy to the areas that are being quarantined by the Italian government then you should stay at home and self-isolate even if you don’t have any symptoms.’
He added that the government doesn’t think there are any Brits in the quarantined area but it cannot be certain.
‘This development in Italy is obviously very worrying because it’s a significant outbreak,’ Mr Hancock said.
‘But throughout this outbreak … we’ve been clear that we expect cases here, so people shouldn’t be surprised that there are cases this close to home, but it just shows how important preparations are.’
When asked whether he would travel to Italy, Mr Hancock said it would be ‘perfectly reasonable’ to go to the south of the country, but that he is ‘not planning on going’ to the north.
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