Coronavirus: Italy extends strict measures to whole country – BBC News

Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures, which include a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that people would only be permitted to travel for work or family emergencies. He said the measures, which come into effect on Tuesday, were to defend the most fragile members of society. The decision follows a large increase in Italy's coronavirus death toll – which jumped by 97 to 463. It is the worst-hit country in the world after China.

In the United Kingdom, people who show "even minor" signs of respiratory tract infections or a fever will soon be told to self-isolate in an effort to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK government’s chief medical adviser Chris Whitty said a change in advice could happen in the next two weeks. Five people have now died from coronavirus in the UK.

As the international community struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organisation has praised China for its response and suggested it offers a model for others to follow. But inside China there's anger over the way the authorities have handled the outbreak, with censorship being stepped up, which is the very approach that experts say helped to accelerate the spread in the first place.

Presented by Huw Edwards, and reporting from Health Editor Hugh Pym, Italy Correspondent Mark Lowen, Sports Editor Dan Roan and China Correspondent John Sudworth.

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