Italy Minister, Luigi Di Maio urges tourists not to stay away as he condemned reports circulating about panic in the country, saying they were doing more damage than the virus itself.
According to reports, hotel bookings in the country have slumped and nearly a dozen cities in the north are in lockdown as the number of infections reached 650 and deaths hit 17, by far the highest in Europe, according to the latest figures from the civil protection agency.
“If schools are open, if our children are going to school, tourists and business people can come,”
“Out of over 7,000 towns in Italy, just over a dozen are affected by this epidemic.” Di Maio said.
Civil protection chief Angelo Borrelli said Wednesday’s figures had not included all the data from the northern Lombardy region, the most badly hit part of the country.
