Coronavirus engulfs Europe as Germany warns 58million will catch it and 168 die in Italy’s highest daily toll
CORONAVIRUS engulfed Europe last night as Italy suffered its highest daily death toll and Germany warned up to 58million of its citizens could catch the disease.
France and Spain also saw a massive spike in infections as ministers across the Continent raced to put draconian measures in place to control the spread.
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There have now been more than 18,000 cases in Europe and 715 deaths.
Italy's death toll rocketed by more than a third on Tuesday, climbing by 168 to a total of 631.
The total number of cases in the country rose to 10,149 as hospitals face a "tsunami" of patients.
France saw a 70 per cent increase of cases over Monday night as 1,784 people have been infected and 33 people have died.
In Spain, holidays were thrown into doubt as the number of confirmed cases tripled in two days to 1,622 with 35 deaths.
School and universities in Madrid were shut and sporting events were cancelled.
Germany now has more than 1,400 cases.
Chancellor Angela Merkel told a parliamentary group meeting up to 70 per cent of the population - around 58million - could contract the virus if it wasn't controlled, newspaper reported.
Health Minister Jens Spahn added that 80 per cent of all infected patients would have almost no symptoms, making it harder to stop.
The World Health Organisation has now confirmed local transmission – which is when an infection spreads within a country – in 27 European states.
The latest grim statistics in Europe mean there are now more than 4,000 global coronavirus deaths, with more than 1,000 outside China.
Yesterday, a sixth person died in the UK from the virus as infections across the country soared to 382.
Italy on lockdown
- Italians told to stay home and “limit social contact as much as possible”
- All public events banned, with sporting matches including Serie A games suspended
- Weddings and funerals cancelled, with cinemas, gyms and pubs closed
- Travel only allowed for “urgent, verifiable work situations and emergencies or health reasons”
- Public and private companies encouraged to put their employees on leave
- Mortgage payments suspended, with debt moratoriums offered to small firms and households
It comes after prime minister Giuseppe Conte placed the whole country under lockdown on Monday night.
The move will see all public events banned, cinemas, gyms and pubs closed, funerals and weddings cancelled and sporting matches including Serie A games suspended.
Within minutes of the announcement, supermarkets and late night stores across Italy reported a surge of panic buying.
Pictures show huge queues of people outside shops as shelves were left empty.
One Italian doctor said his hospital was being "overwhelmed" by the "tsunami" of patients.
Dr Daniele Macchini, who works at Humanitas Gavazzeni hospital in Bergamo, northern Italy, wrote on Facebook: "The war has literally exploded and the battles are uninterrupted day and night.
"The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the emergency room is collapsing."
Mr Conte has said people would only be allowed to travel for work or family emergencies.
He said the drastic measures had been introduced because the country had "no time left".
Mr Conte said that the best thing for Italians was to stay at home.
He said: "We want to guarantee the health of our citizens. We understand that these measures will impose sacrifices, sometimes small and sometimes very big.
"But this is a time where we must take responsibility for ourselves."
He added: "We have to limit the spread of the virus and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed.
"I will take responsibility for these measures. Our future is in our hands.
"No more nightlife...we can't allow this anymore since they are occasions for contagion."
Schools and universities will remain closed until April 3 beyond the original extension of March 15.
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Under the new decree, people can face fines and up to three months in prison for breaking quarantine rules.
Checkpoints on motorways, toll booths, train stations and airports are introduced yesterday.
Payments on mortgages will be also suspended across the country, Italy’s deputy economy minister said on Tuesday.
