<span style="color: #222222;">In Italy, the government has introduced extraordinary measures to tackle the spread of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the country. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the emergency plan late yesterday as the number of confirmed cases rose to 79. </span><br />''The measures were imposed after two Italian citizens were confirmed to have died from the virus. Italy on Friday became the first country in Europe to report the death of one of its own nationals from the virus in Veneto. A 77-year-old woman died yesterday near the small town of Codogno in Lombardy.<br />''<br />''A dozen towns in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto have been effectively quarantined under the plan. Around 50,000 people from towns in two northern regions have been asked to stay at home by authorities.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Since December, COVID-19 has killed more than 2,200 people in China, the epicentre of the virus. </span><br />