The Wall Street Journal - 09.03.2020

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Monday, March 9, 2020 |A

China reported its first day

without new locally transmitted

coronavirus cases outside the

city where the pathogen had

emerged, just as Italy imposed a

mass quarantine similar to the

sweeping measures Beijing has

used to contain the epidemic.

Chinese health authorities

logged 44 new infections na-

tionwide for Saturday, includ-

ing 41 cases in Wuhan, a city of

11 million people where the epi-

demic began and which officials

have sealed off since late Janu-

ary as part of an unprecedented

quarantine effort locking down

tens of millions of people.

The remaining three cases—

two in Beijing and one in

northwestern Gansu province—

were “imported,” meaning the

patients were infected abroad,

China’s National Health Com-

mission said on Sunday.

Saturday’s tally was the low-

est one-day case count China

has reported since it started

disclosing such figures in late

January. It also marked the sec-

ond straight day in which China

reported new infections in dou-

ble digits, down from hundreds

of cases a day a month ago.

These figures “indicate that

current prevention-and-control

measures are scientific and ef-

fective,” health commission

spokesman Mi Feng said at a

Sunday news briefing. Since

late January, Chinese authori-

ties have implemented full or

partial lockdowns in cities and

communities across the coun-

try, curbing the movement of

hundreds of millions of people.

Similar measures are now

being imposed in Italy, the Eu-

ropean country worst-hit by

the coronavirus, where author-

ities early Sunday ordered a

lockdown of more than a quar-

ter of its population in the

country’s economic heartland.

The mass quarantine across

much of northern Italy—effec-

tive until April 3—marked the

most sweeping step any Euro-

pean country has taken

against the coronavirus, which

THE CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC

positive for Covid-19.

“I’m not experiencing any

symptoms, and I feel fine and

healthy,” Mr. Cruz said in a

statement. He said that the in-

teraction was 10 days ago,

while the average incubation

period is five to six days, and

authorities have told him the

chances he caught the virus

are low.

A second member of Con-

gress, Rep. Paul Gosar (R.-

Ariz.), said later Sunday he and

three members of his staff are

also in self-quarantine after

coming into contact at CPAC

with the person who had the

illness.

The attendee had no re-

ported contact with President

Trump or Vice President Mike

Pence, who both attended the

conference.

resident would become infected
with Covid-19, so this should
not come as a surprise to any-
body,” Gov. Ned Lamont said of
the state’s first presumptive
positive case. Officials said the
resident, described as a person
40 to 50 years of age, most
likely became infected with the
virus during a recent trip to
California. The person sought
medical care shortly after re-
turning to Connecticut.
In Washington, top officials
warned that the epidemic was
now in the broader circulation
and that older people with un-
derlying conditions and other
people at risk should stay home.
“Initially, we had a posture of
containment,” Surgeon General
Jerome Adams told CNN. “Now
we’re shifting into a mitigation
phase, which means that we’re
helping communities under-
stand, you’re going to see more
cases. Unfortunately, you’re go-
ing to see more deaths.”
The country currently has
75,000 coronavirus tests avail-
able, Dr. Adams said. That
number is expected to jump to
two million on Monday and
four million by the end of the
week, he said. “No public-
health doctor who has asked
for a test has not been able to
get a test,” Dr. Adams said.

Continued from Page One

7,375 people have been con-

firmed infected in Italy, of

whom 366 have died. Italy

placed some small towns under

quarantine in late February,

banned many kinds of public

gatherings including in soccer

stadiums, and shut schools and

universities for two weeks.

But the measured response

failed to slow new viral infec-

tions. That has triggered a

more sweeping response.

“We can’t be like China, but

this is the most you could do in

a European country,” said Gio-

vanni Rezza, the chief epidemi-

ologist at Italy’s National

Health Institute, the country’s

disease-control body. “It’s vital

that citizens do their part.”

epidemic to areas that haven’t

been touched by it.”

Italy’s poorer, southern re-

gions told residents of northern

regions to stay away, fearing

the return of many people of

southern origin who migrated

north to work.

“Don’t come back to Puglia,

and if you are already on your

way, turn back,” said Michele

Emiliano, governor of the

southern region.

Like other southern regions,

Puglia on Sunday said anyone

coming from the north will

have to quarantine themselves

at home for two weeks.

The Italian government

hopes the new rules will help

contain the outbreak. A total of

ways. Cruise-ship tourists will no

longer be allowed to disembark

in Venice. Those leaving the

quarantined areas will have to

sign a document saying they

meet the exemption criteria.

Health experts warn that a

failure to quickly enforce the

quarantine could be counterpro-

ductive, pushing people from the

affected areas to leave, carrying

the virus with them.

“The goal of these measures

is containment. But to achieve

containment, the measures

need to be strictly enforced.

Going halfway can’t work,” said

Massimo Galli, head of the in-

fectious-diseases department at

Milan’s Sacco hospital. “It’s a

classic way of transferring the

“We thought we’d find the

army here, but there have been

absolutely no checks,” said Ali

Anir, who was changing trains

in Milan with his girlfriend on

their way to their home in Ve-

rona.

There was no immediate dis-

ruption to air travel, either, with

scheduled flights still departing

and landing in Milan. A sign at

Milan’s Linate airport assured

passengers that regular service

was continuing. Italy’s national

carrier, Alitalia, said it would re-

duce the number of flights in

and out of Milan.

Italy’s interior ministry late

Sunday said police will start en-

forcing the new restrictions in

train stations, airports and high-

ROME—Italy’s effort to fight
the worst coronavirus epidemic
outside China by quarantining
17 million people began in con-
fusion, as transport services
continued, enforcement wasn’t
yet evident and Italians won-
dered how it was meant to
work.
A government decree that
took effect on Sunday bans peo-
ple from entering or leaving
large swaths of northern Italy,
including the cities of Milan,
Venice and Parma and much of
Italy’s industrial heartland.
Residents of the quarantine
zone aren’t allowed to travel
within it, employees are asked
to take leave and at-risk groups
such as the elderly to stay in
their homes. The decree says
police and army can be de-
ployed to enforce the quaran-
tine if necessary. People found
breaking the rules can, in
theory, face up to three months
in prison.
“This is a national emer-
gency,” said Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte. “Our objec-
tives are twofold: to contain the
spread of infections—we can’t
afford it—and we have to take
action to prevent the overload-
ing of our hospitals.”
But there were soon ques-
tions about the effectiveness of
the measures Mr. Conte an-
nounced. On Sunday afternoon,
there was little sign that Italian
authorities in the north were
enforcing the new decree, for
example by deploying police to
prevent people from traveling.
Trains were still going to and
from Milan’s central station,
with no controls on passengers.

BYMARGHERITASTANCATI

Holes Emerge in Italy’s Lockdown Plan

Quarantine of 17 million

in bid to quell worst

outbreak outside China

gets off to rocky start

Trains were still going to and from Milan’s central station on Sunday, as the government banned people from entering or leaving large swaths of northern Italy.

EMANUELE CREMASCHI/GETTY IMAGES

Provinces under lockdown

as of Sunday morning

Source: Italian government

Under Quarantine

Rome

Naples

Milan

Venice

LOMBARDY

VENETO

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

PIEDMONT

MARCHE

has sickened 5,883 people in

Italy as of Saturday evening,

of which 233 have died and

589 have recovered.

The Italian lockdown came

after the World Health Organi-

zation urged governments to

take decisive action to halt the

spread of an epidemic that has

infected more than 100,

people around the world, cit-

ing China’s containment mea-

sures as an example.

The Maldives, an archipel-

ago nation in the Indian

Ocean, reported its first two

cases on Saturday. The gov-

ernment responded by impos-

ing stricter health screenings

for travelers and quarantine

arrangements, adding to an

earlier decision to deny entry

to travelers who arrive from

or transit through Italy, its

presidential office said.

The global spread of

Covid-19, the respiratory dis-

ease caused by the coronavi-

rus, has kept China on alert

for more imported infections,

said Mr. Mi, the health com-

mission spokesman. The com-

mission has logged 63 such

cases so far, out of about

80,700 cases in total.

Municipal authorities in

Beijing and other major Chi-

nese cities have imposed

stricter health screenings and

even quarantine measures

against travelers arriving from

countries badly hit by the cor-

onavirus, including South Ko-

rea, Japan, Iran and Italy.

In Iran, the number of deaths

from coronavirus jumped

sharply on Sunday to 194, a 33%

spike since the day before,

Iran’s health ministry said.

The Grand Princess is scheduled to dock in Oakland, Calif., Monday.

JOSH EDELSON/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Global Bid

To Control

Virus Grows

U.S. health officials warned
Americans to avoid cruise trips
and blocked several Princess
Cruises ships from leaving or
docking in an effort to contain
further spread of coronavirus,
which has already hit two of
the line’s voyages.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention ordered
the Regal Princess to be held
Sunday off the coast of Florida
with thousands of people on
board. The agency issued a no-
sail order Saturday for the
Royal Princess in Los Angeles.
A third ship, the Grand Prin-
cess, will dock in Oakland, Ca-
lif., on Monday to start unload-
ing passengers, who will be
quarantined.
Crew from the Carnival
Corp.-owned ships were being

tested for potential exposure

on previous trips of the Grand

Princess, where one former

passenger died and 21 people

currently on board have tested

positive for Covid-19, the ill-

ness caused by the virus. Prin-

cess Cruises said staff had

been transferred more than 14

days ago and were without

symptoms.

The sudden spread of the vi-

rus has caught many health of-

ficials, cruise operators and

passengers by surprise. Thou-

sands of Americans were al-

ready on voyages when U.S. of-

ficials announced the death

linked to the Grand Princess.

The U.S. State Department

and federal health officials

have advised U.S. citizens, es-

pecially those with underlying

health conditions, to avoid

traveling on cruise ships.

“It goes without saying that

if you are elderly, if you have a

pre-existing condition, you

have issues of lung disease,

heart disease, or you have

other medical conditions, I

would highly recommend—al-

most demand—that you not go

on a cruise,” California Gov.

Gavin Newsom said Sunday.

Bookings for new cruises

have plunged in recent weeks,

industry executives say. Hun-

dreds of people became in-

fected with Covid-19 on an-

other ship, the Diamond

Princess, when it docked in

Japan in January.

A spokeswoman for a cruise

trade group said the industry

was focused on developing an

aggressive response plan to the

virus that goes beyond recent

enhancements such as pre-

boarding checks and tempera-

ture screenings at embarkation.

“I fear the damage is done

and it’s going to be extensive,”

said an executive from one

cruise operation. “The expecta-

tion is that cancellations for

this year can reach 50% and

bookings for next year to fall

by a higher percentage. We’ve

never seen this before.”

Princess Cruises said Sunday

its Grand Princess ship would

dock at the port of Oakland on

Monday to start unloading pas-

sengers in need of acute medi-

cal care. The ship has about

2,400 passengers and 1,

crew members.

On Sunday, the Grand Prin-

cess was roughly 10 miles off

shore, waiting while federal

personnel finished prepping

the port for the ship. The plan

is to disembark people with

symptoms and in the most

need of medical care first, then

California residents, of which

there are roughly 960.

BYERINAILWORTH
ANDCOSTASPARIS

U.S. Blocks More Cruise Sailings

WASHINGTON—Republican

Sen. Ted Cruz said on Sunday

that he would remain at home

in Texas this week in a self-im-

posed quarantine “out of an

abundance of caution” after

learning he had last month

shaken hands and briefly con-

versed with an individual who

tested positive for the disease

caused by the novel coronavirus.

Mr. Cruz said he was in-

formed Saturday night about

his interaction, which occurred

in late February at the Conser-

vative Political Action Confer-

ence, an event for conservative

activists held in suburban

Washington. The American

Conservative Union, which

hosts the event, said Saturday

that an attendee had tested

BYSIOBHANHUGHES

Two Congress Members

Enter Self-Quarantine

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