The coronavirus emergency does not alter the country's relationship with the European Union, premier Giuseppe Conte said on Monday after the disease claimed its sixth victim in northern Italy.
"Nothing changes," Conte told reporters when asked how Italy's status as the largest cluster of coronavirus cases in Europe could impact the country's relations with the bloc.
The number of people infected with the new coronavirus disease has increased to 165 in Lombardy alone. The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy has topped 200, making it the second largest cluster after South Korea outside China (epicentre of the disease, where some 77,000 people have been infected since December and almost 2,660 have died).
The European Commission, announced on Monday that it would send experts to Italy from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, in a joint mission with the World Health Organization. The EU executive also announced a 232 million euro package to tackle the virus.
Austria is considering reintroducing border controls with Italy, in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak that has led to a dozen northern Italian towns being put into lockdown.
Austria suspended train services to and from Italy for several hours on Sunday so two passengers could be tested for coronavirus.
