THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020Italy shuts universities and
schools as outbreak spreads
Death toll at 107 with more than 500 new cases in 24 hours
A cleaner sanitises a classroom at a high school in Turin on Monday (Reuters)
CHRIS BAYNES AND VINCENT WOOD
Italy has announced it will close all schools and universities for a week and a half in a bid to contain the
spread of coronavirus as the death toll in the country rose to 107.
The nation’s minister for education Lucia Azzolina confirmed all educational centres would be closed from
Thursday to 15 March. Speaking alongside PM Giuseppe Conte, she said: “I hope pupils can return to
school as soon as possible ... my commitment is to ensure that the essential public service, albeit from a
distance, is provided to all our students”.