Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio
said in Madrid Friday that flights between Italy and China would
continue to be suspended as long as health authorities deemed it
"opportune" amid the coronavirus emergency.
"The suspension of flights is a measure taken to tackle the
emergency in the immediate (period) and as long as health
authorities tell us it is opportune we will continue to
implement it", he said.
"Every State has taken measures," Di Maio said.
He recalled that other European countries had recalled their
nationals from China.
"Italy has declared a state of emergency," he added.
This was aimed, he said, at "privileging the maximum safety
of our citizens with respect to the proliferation of the
coronavirus".
"We immediately sought to repatriate our nationals from
Wuhan, who have been placed in quarantine.
"one of these people has tested positive for the virus in the
last few hours".
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