As the coronavirus outbreak explodes across Asia, spreading to the Middle East and Europe, a rash of new infections in Italy has caused the Italian government to order 50,000 people into lockdown status while closing schools, bars and public spaces across 10 towns.

“Five doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, after apparently frequenting the same bar and group of friends, with two other cases in Veneto, authorities said at a press conference,” reports the IB Times. “…[A]ll public activities such as carnival celebrations, church masses and sporting events have been banned for up to a week.”

In addition, IB Times reports that 250 additional people have been placed in quarantine after having close contact with those who already tested positive. The local railway is now skipping three stations, underscoring how quickly this pandemic can collapse local infrastructure.

Italian officials are now attempting to create a “sanitary ring” around the village of Vo’ Euganeo, much in the same way China tried to lock down Wuhan (but ultimately failed). We wonder, will Italy weld shut the steel doors of entire apartment complexes like China did? Or will we see a less draconian approach in Europe?

Either way, it doesn’t seem to matter. The virus escaped the strict quarantine measures in China, killing so many people there that the Chinese government had to bring in 40 mobile incineration ovens just to deal with all the corpses.

The number of coronavirus infections outside China has doubled in less than a week, now exceeding 1,150 people (and growing exponentially).

Meanwhile, coronavirus infections have exploded in South Korea, literally doubling overnight as a “super spreader” was believed to have infected hundreds of other attendees at her local church.

The CDC is now warning U.S. hospitals to prepare for a “surge” in coronavirus patients in the United States.

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