Coronavirus Outbreak Forces Italy into Total Lock-Down

The number of infectious coronavirus cases in the U.S. has reached 500 with 24 deaths. Worldwide, Covid-19 has infected close to 113,000 people with over 4,000 deaths. The majority of cases remain in China with Italy now in a close second as they continue to experience a dramatic increase in the outbreak. After 463 confirmed dead and the number of infectious cases nearing 9,200, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced an extension of the partial lock down restrictions. Now, more than 60 million citizens are under a total lock-down. Only those with legitimate work or family reasons will be granted permission to leave the country. As closures and cancellations of public places in the U.S. also continue to increase, cases of the virus in China have started to taper off. In a major move, the Chinese president visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, to validate this latest positive development.