By Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak
ANKARA (AA) - Italy suspended all schools and universities until the middle of March amid coronavirus outbreak in the country, local media reported Wednesday.
Italy is the worst-hit country by the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe as 79 people died because of the deadly virus, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Some 2,263 people have also been infected with the virus in the country and 160 of them recovered.
The Italian government has been taking measures to curb the negative effects of the outbreak on the economy.
To prevent further spread of the virus, it urges people to not shake hands, to stop all sports activities and congresses, and those over 65 to stay at home.
First detected in Wuhan, China in December, the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has spread to at least 73 countries.
The global death toll from the virus is over 3,000, with more than 89,000 infected.
After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency, last week the World Health Organization raised the global risk level to very high.
As part of their efforts to contain the outbreak, many governments have closed their borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-affected countries such as China, Iran, and Italy.