COVID-19 fans out to 20 countries in Europe

BRUSSELS－Infections of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, are continuing to spread in Europe, with two more countries confirming their first cases on Friday and pushing the number of nations there with cases to 20 by early that day.

Lithuania confirmed its first case of the virus in a woman who returned from Italy, the government said on Friday. The 39-year-old, who returned from Verona, has been isolated in hospital in the Baltic state's northern city of Siauliai and has mild symptoms. Her family members are being monitored.

On the same day, Belarus reported its first case, an Iranian student who arrived in the country from Azerbaijan last week. The Health Ministry said the patient was in a satisfactory condition.

In the Netherlands, a second case of coronavirus had been confirmed, health officials said on Friday, this time in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.

The United Kingdom now has 19 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus after Wales identified its first case and two new cases were found in England, health authorities said on Friday.

Despite the rapid spread of the virus across the continent, Italy－the worst-hit country in Europe－urged tourists spooked by the new coronavirus on Thursday not to stay away. However, efforts to reassure the world it was managing with the outbreak were overshadowed by a sharp rise in case numbers.

Hotel bookings have slumped and nearly a dozen cities in the north are in lockdown as the number of infections reached 650 and deaths hit 17－by far the highest in Europe, according to the latest figures from the civil protection agency.

An Italian man who arrived in Nigeria three days ago has become the African country's first case of coronavirus on Friday.

20 new cases in France

In France, authorities on Thursday reported 20 new cases of people infected with the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total in the country to 38, including two deaths.

Germany warned of an impending epidemic and Greece, a gateway for refugees from the Middle East, announced tighter border controls.

As new infections continue to rise across the continent, the European Parliament said it is considering whether to hold its meetings and plenary sessions by teleconference due to growing concerns about the fast-spreading coronavirus, a spokesman said.

"It's being seriously considered. We'll know more in the next few days," the spokesman said.

However, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio condemned "false reports circulating abroad" about panic in the country, saying they were doing "more damage" than the virus itself.

"If schools are open, if our children are going to school, tourists and business people can come," Di Maio said. "Out of over 7,000 towns in Italy, just over a dozen are affected by this epidemic."

Italian health officials are also making another change in their testing protocols that may slow the growth of new case numbers. The country expects to limit coronavirus testing to at-risk people showing symptoms of COVID-19, said Giuseppe Ippolito, scientific director at Italy's National Institute for Infectious Diseases.