1 / 4An Iraqi woman's temperature is taken upon her return from Iran at the Najaf International Airport on February 21An Iraqi woman's temperature is taken upon her return from Iran at the Najaf International Airport on February 21 (AFP Photo/Haidar HAMDANI)Beijing (AFP) - Fears mounted Saturday as cases of the new coronavirus multiplied outside China in places such as Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with pockets of outbreak sparking lockdowns and school closures.
"The contagiousness of this virus is very strong and pretty virulent," Lombardy's health chief Giulio Gallera told reporters.The cases triggered a lockdown in approximately a dozen Italian towns -- a move reminiscent of China's sealing off of entire cities in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus where millions remain under quarantine.
A study from the Imperial College London meanwhile estimated that"about two thirds of COVID-19 cases exported from mainland China have remained undetected worldwide, potentially leaving sources of human-to-human transmission unchecked."The number of new cases in China outside Hubei has been generally declining, although new outbreaks have emerged in several prisons and hospitals.
More than 400 people have been infected in South Korea, many linked to a hospital and a religious sect, and two people have died.Officials said some of the cases show no confirmed epidemiological connections, meaning they are not sure where or how they contracted the virus. Two former Japanese passengers in their 80s have died. Meanwhile, a Japanese woman who was part of the latest group of passengers to disembark has tested positive in Tochigi Prefecture, local media reported.
Chen Yulu, China's deputy central bank governor, told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday that economic growth would"quickly rebound".Chinese officials are also keen to show the country is returning to work.
Now look on the back of Lysol Disinfectant. Been on the back since the 1960s.
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