Ministry of Foreign Affairs Issues 'Travel Caution' Alert for Two Italian Regions Amid COVID-19 Spread

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 9th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a Level 2 travel alert (Yellow Alert · Travel Caution) for the Piedmont region in northern Italy and the Marche region in central Italy, where the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading.

The Level 2 travel alert areas in Italy have increased from the three northern provinces (Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto) announced on the 28th of last month to five provinces.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that considering the recent sharp increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy, about 90% of confirmed cases are concentrated in these five provinces, raising concerns about exposure to infection in these areas.

According to the Italian Ministry of Health, as of 6 p.m. on the 8th, a total of 7,375 cumulative confirmed cases have been reported in Italy, with the number by province as follows: Lombardia 4,189, Emilia-Romagna 1,180, Veneto 670, Piedmont 360, and Marche 272.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged, "Citizens currently staying in these areas should pay special attention to their personal safety, and those planning to travel to these regions should carefully reconsider the necessity of their travel."

The travel alert system consists of four levels: Navy Blue Alert (Travel Advisory) - Yellow Alert (Travel Caution) - Red Alert (Evacuation Recommendation) - Black Alert (Travel Ban).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely monitor the situation of confirmed cases in Italy and review the need to adjust travel alerts accordingly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.