ROME – A six-month state of emergency due to the coronavirus has been announced, with 5 million euros to be allocated, according to government officials.

 The Ministry of Health will be given support in the task of tracing people infected with the virus and coordinating with different administrations to speed up emergency response times, reported La Stampa. These measures follow a declaration on a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday. “We have activated the precautionary regulatory measures in our country for these cases, as already occurred in 2003 on the occasion of the Sars infection,” said the Italian Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza.

  On Thursday there was suspicion of two coronavirus cases in Italy, as two Chinese tourists who landed in Milan on Jan. 23 were hospitalized in Spallanzani, Rome, resulting in the quarantine of the cruise ship ‘Costa Smeralda’ in the port of Civitavecchia. This morning, passengers were allowed to disembark, following reports that the tests had come back negative, according to La Repubblica.

  The coronavirus has resulted in incidences of discrimination against Chinese people in Italy. On Friday, a sign written in Chinese and English appeared in front of a bar next to the Trevi fountain, stating that “Due to international safety measures, all people coming from China are not allowed to have access to this place,” and there have been further reports from Venice and Turin of Chinese tourists being confronted by Italians.

  Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday night that there was “no reason for panic or alarm,” while also announcing the closure of flights to and from China. The last five flights permitted to land from China arrived in Italy this morning. Passengers were checked by doctors who boarded the aircraft, and information was collected to track passengers in case of infection in the future, reports Corriere Della Sera. There are plans to repatriate the Italian nationals stranded in Wuhan on Sunday morning, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.

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