As the number of cases of coronavirus are increasing, 41 new deaths from coronavirus were reported on Thursday in Italy, bringing the death toll to 148. This is the second-highest death toll outside of China where the virus has claimed the lives of over 3,000 people since the outbreak of the epidemic in December last year.
The virus has now reached all 22 regions of Italy and prompted Rome to take unprecedent measures, including suspending all schools and universities and unveiling a USD 8.4 billion rescue plan.
Meanwhile, the Palestine government has declared a two-week ban on tourists visiting cities and sites including Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity in the country.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organistaion (WHO), has said that the organisation is concerned that the 'level of political commitment' in some countries does not 'match the level of the threat we all face'.
"This is not a drill. Not a time to give up. Not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops," he said in a tweet.
Till now, more than 95,000 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus globally, the vast majority in China.
(With inputs from ANI)
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