Coronavirus in Italy: Kuwait to send evacuation jet, UAE issues travel advisory

Kuwait airways will send a plane to Milan, Italy to evacuate its citizens on Thursday, while the United Arab Emirates’ embassy in Rome advised its citizens to postpone travel to Italy and for those already in the country to avoid infected areas.

Italy has registered more than 400 coronavirus vases, while the death toll rose to 12 since last Friday.

“Kuwait Airways announces that… in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Interior and the General Administration of Civil Aviation, it will operate one special flight to the city of Milan in Italy to evacuate Kuwaiti citizens,” the airline said on its twitter account on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the UAE advised its citizens to postpone any travel plans to Italy and for those already in the European country to avoid infected areas and to follow the Italian authorities’ instructions, according to a tweet by the UAE’s embassy in Rome on Wednesday.

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Kuwait struck by coronavirus

Kuwait itself was struck by an outbreak of coronavirus this week.

Kuwait Health Ministry reported seven new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total in the country to 25, according to a statement. Many of those infected in the country were travelers from Iran.

Passengers who arrived from Iran were moved to and quarantined in hotels.

Nearby Bahrain and UAE have also reported cases of coronavirus.

Italy: The heart of coronavirus in Europe

Italy has recorded the most coronavirus cases in Europe, and travelers from Italy have spread the virus to nearby Algeria and Croatia.

France also quarantined bus passengers from Italy to attempt to contain the virus, but recorded its second death on Wednesday.

The coronavirus outbreak in the country is centered in Italy’s industrial heartlands of Lombardy and Veneto, and the government has closed schools and universities, shuttered cinemas and banned public events in an effort to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.

According to authorities, all of the 12 people killed by coronavirus in Italy have been elderly or have underlying health problems.

The virus, also known as corona or COVID-19, is usually spread through person-to-person contact with someone who is infected.

- With wires