Rome (dpa) - Italy has instituted checks at its airport in Rome for possible cases of a new coronavirus with pneumonia-like symptoms that first started in China, Italian health authorities said on Monday.
The likelihood of the virus being brought into the European Union are "low, but cannot be ruled out," the Health Ministry in Rome said.
Measures are being taken at Rome's Fiumicino airport to check for possible suspected cases on flights from the Chinese metropolis of Wuhan, where the virus that has so far killed three people began.
There are three direct flights to Wuhan from Rome's airport, as well as several non-direct flights. Travel on these routes is expected to increase in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year holiday this week.
In a pamphlet, the ministry advised passengers to postpone any non-essential travel to Wuhan.
A Health Ministry spokesman explained that the controls stipulate that the pilot must report any passenger on board with the corresponding symptoms. The passenger would then immediately be brought to Rome's National Institute for Infectious Diseases.
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