Tourists wearing face masks visit the Colosseo in Rome, Italy, on March 4, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
Governments around the world are taking emergent actions to contain the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as the number of confirmed cases outside China continues to grow:
--Italy closes schools, universities
--Iranian president urges the U.S. to lift medical sanctions
--Los Angeles of the U.S. declares emergency after confirming 6 new cases
All schools in Italy are closed on Thursday and will remain shut until at least mid-March to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's government said.
The "prudent" decision was not a simple one and the government consulted expert opinion, Italy's Education Minister Lucia Azzolina said on her Twitter Wednesday.
The Italian education ministry launched an information portal on remote learning. Teachers are working to provide online and distant teaching programs.
The Italian government has put several cities and towns in the country's north on lockdown, banning people from entering and leaving affected areas in the worst-hit northern Italy, suspending all public, business, sports and school activities and events in the areas.
Italy has 2,502 confirmed COVID-19 cases, which has killed 80 people in the country, according to statistics from WHO as of Wednesday.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that if the U.S. really wants to help Iran fight novel coronavirus, it should lift the sanctions, including a ban on importing medical supplies.
Rouhani rejected as a "lie" the U.S. offer of help for Iran in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Our people know well that you (the U.S. officials) are lying, that you are not telling the truth," Rouhani said at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was willing to help the Iranians with the novel coronavirus problem. "All they have to do is ask," he said.
Washington has been taking the most "sinister" of actions against the Iranians over the past two years by reimposing sanctions on their supplies of food and medicines and is now hiding behind "a mask of sympathy" claiming that it seeks to assist the Iranian nation, said Rouhani.
"If you are really telling the truth, you should at least lift your sanctions on medicines. This would be the first step. And say that you have done wrong to the Iranian nation so far and offer an apology," Rouhani added.
Iran announced the first cases of COVID-19 in the central city of Qom on Feb. 19.
The Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education said Wednesday that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Iran has infected 2,922 people across the country, 92 of whom have died.
Los Angeles County declared a local public health emergency regarding the novel coronavirus on Wednesday morning after six new cases of the disease were identified in the county in the last 48 hours.
The county's Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a press conference joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti that the move was taken "out of abundance of caution" instead of "a response rooted in panic."
Barbara Ferrer, director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, warned that leaders should expect more infection cases of coronavirus in the days ahead.
"If you're sick with anything, we need people to stay home," she advised, but denied there is any case of community transmission in Los Angeles area so far.
The move comes amid more sobering news about the spread of the virus in the United States, including nine deaths in Washington state, a new quarantine in the suburbs of New York City and a warning that more cases are on the horizon.
Washington State, San Francisco and Santa Clara County have also declared health emergencies. The United States has 108 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 6 deaths, according to WHO reports as of Wednesday.
