Growing Fear of COVID-19 in Italy... Signs of Spread to Central and Southern Regions

Positive Cases Confirmed in Central Toscana and Southern Sicilia

Amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), on the 23rd, the 55th Certified Public Accountant exam was held at the testing site set up at Hongik University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, where officials are checking examinees for fever using thermal cameras. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which has been rampant in northern Italy, is expected to potentially spread to the central and southern regions.

On the 25th (local time), the local daily La Repubblica reported that a 60-year-old man living in Florence, the capital of the central Tuscany region, tested positive for COVID-19. It is known that the man voluntarily visited a hospital in the city the previous afternoon to request testing. The media reported that the man had traveled to an Asian country in early last month, but did not specify the country. Currently, Italian health authorities are conducting an epidemiological investigation to identify people who had contact with this man.

In Palermo, the capital of southern Sicily, one positive case was also confirmed. This person is reported to have recently visited Bergamo in Lombardy, northern Italy, where the highest number of confirmed cases have appeared.

Accordingly, there is an analysis that this indicates signs of COVID-19 spreading southward from the north.

Currently, the total number of COVID-19 infections in Italy is estimated to be around 270. This is the fourth highest number following China, Japan, and Korea, where the outbreak originated. Specifically, Lombardy had the highest number with 206 cases. Veneto ranked second with 38 cases. Other confirmed cases were found in Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lazio, and other regions. A total of seven people have died.