Italy fears neighboring countries will close their borders after a number of viruses have been diagnosed in Croatia and Austria • Coronation scare has also reached the Canary Islands

Corona epidemic strikes mainland Europe: After three weeks of spreading the Covid-19 virus on a continent is limited and largely unknown, Europe is experiencing a large wave of cases when the focus of a large part of them is in northern Italy.

Photo: Reuters

Media outlets in Italy today reported the virus migrating south, with several cases being discovered in the Tuscany region, south of the official outbreak, as well as in southern Sicily. The number of people infected in the country today rose sharply from 222 to 323 and the number of dead rose to 11, most of them from northern Lombardy.

Italian Health Minister Roberto Florence announced today that there is no indication that Italy's neighbors intend to close the border with it, after rumors circulated of France and Austria's intention to restrict passenger traffic between countries.

"We decided to leave all borders open with the understanding that closing borders at this time would be disproportionate and ineffective," said Florence. Two first cases of the virus were discovered in Austria and Croatia, Italy's neighbors.

The panic of the virus has spread to the Canary Islands where dozens of residents of a local hotel have been partially quarantined after a passenger from Italy was diagnosed with Corona.