DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei canceled his speech in the city of Mashhad for Persian new year, which is on March 20, to prevent further infections of coronavirus, according to a statement on his official site.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has updated its travel advisory against Italy to the highest Do Not Travel warning as the country is battling the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The Armenian foreign ministry called on all nationals currently in Italy to immediately return to Armenia.
“Given the Italian authorities’ announced measures for the prevention of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, we call on Armenian nationals to strictly refrain from traveling to Italy, and those who are currently in Italy to immediately cut short their trip and return to Armenia”, the foreign ministry said.
Armenian citizens are urged to contact the embassy.
Earlier the MFA had advised against all but non-essential travel.
Italy has extended its emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that he is extending restrictions already in place in the north.
“All the measure of the red zones are now extended to all of the national territory,” Conte said at a press conference on Monday evening as he also announced a ban on all public events, CNN reported.
The Prime Minister said the move was taken in order to protect the population. His announcement came at the end of a chaotic day that saw prison riots across the country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered people to stay home and seek permission for essential travel.
Ninety-seven people have died of the novel coronavirus since Sunday in Italy, bringing its total number of deaths to 463. The country has 9,172 cases so far.
Poland has confirmed its first coronavirus infection, Poland’s Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski said on March 4, Reuters reported.
Pope Francis has tested negative for the novel coronavirus after having canceled a Lent retreat for the first time in his papacy because he is suffering from a cold, Reuters reported citing the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
Armenia is upgrading and extending its border shutdown with Iran for another two weeks as the Islamic Republic is facing the COVID-19 outbreak, Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan announced.
The Chinese city at the center of the coronavirus epidemic closed its first makeshift hospital, one of 16 hurriedly built to handle the epidemic, after it discharged the last recovered patients, state broadcaster CCTV said today, reports Reuters.
At least 210 people in Iran have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease, sources in the country’s health system have told BBC Persian.
The healthcare ministry of Belarus confirmed today the first case of the novel coronavirus in the country, reports TASS.
Armenia has issued a travel warning against all but highly essential travel to Iran, China, Japan, South Korea and Italy amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak.