Bhutan and Italy has already began a nationwide lockdown in a drastic effort to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The continued spread of coronavirus is causing countries across the world to close their borders to tourists, throwing the plans of holidaymakers into confusion and disarray.
Italy has quarantined 16 million people in a bid to prevent the further spread of coronavirus, which has thus far infected at least 7,375 in the country and killed 366. Around the world, officials are implementing curbs on mobility as the overall number of cases tops 110,000. Italy alone has more than 9,000 cases and almost 500 deaths. Israel has mandated quarantine for all arriving travelers, while Japan is moving toward declaring a national emergency.
Bhutan, the tiny Himalayan kingdom, which is heavily reliant on high-end tourism for foreign exchange, said a 79-year-old American who entered by air from India on March 2 had tested positive for the virus. “The government will impose two weeks’ restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect,” Bhutan’s health ministry said in a statement. “This is to enable rigorous monitoring, source assessment of infection, and mitigate the situation.” The government also announced the closure of several schools and the postponement of international conferences and seminars for two weeks.
But while the outbreak worsens in Europe and the United States, China signaled growing confidence that it has contained the epidemic at home, with leader Xi Jinping visiting the city of Wuhan for the first time since the virus emerged there late last year.
