Taiwan raises coronavirus travel advisory for Italy

台灣為意大利提出冠狀病毒旅行諮詢

Orange alert for all of Italy, red alert for parts of Lombardy and Veneto

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —?The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday (Feb. 25) raised its travel advisory for Italy to “orange,” dissuading travelers from visiting the country unless absolutely necessary, with a “red” alert valid for the worst-affected areas as the number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the European country surged to more than 200.

The red alert, which amounted to advising citizens not to visit, was valid for parts of the Lombardy and Veneto regions of north Italy where local travel restrictions already applied, CNA reported.

Earlier in the day, the health authorities raised their travel advisory for Italy to a level-2 alert similar to those for Japan and Singapore. The advisory meant that citizens traveling to Italy should strengthen their own prevention measures against infections during their stay, CNA reported.

Level-3 warnings are in force for China, Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea, telling people not to travel to those countries and areas unless absolutely necessary.

Iran and Thailand were the subject of a level-1 watch advisory which recommends visitors follow local coronavirus prevention advice.

Two of the worst-hit regions in Italy, Lombardy with the country’s business capital Milan and Veneto with the historic city of Venice, are among the most popular destinations for Taiwanese tour groups and individual visitors.

The annual Venice Carnival has been canceled, while theaters and football stadiums are also closed due to virus fears.

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has advised Taiwanese travelers to voluntarily inform health officials at the airport if they feel they have symptoms of the virus.

Taiwan saw its number of coronavirus cases rise to 31 Tuesday, including one death reported earlier.