World
Italy Closes Schools, Adopts Radical Virus Containment Steps
- Education minister says schools will be closed until March 15
- Milan, Venice and neighboring regions already in near lockdown
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Italy announced a nationwide closing of its schools until March 15 as it redoubles efforts to curb the worst outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in Europe.
The shutdown of schools and universities, which started Thursday, will further hit an economy that’s expected to contract sharply in coming months. Adding to the disruption, the government adopted a raft of further measures including a ban of public conferences and cultural events.