In an unprecedented move, the Prime Minister suspended all sporting events in the Lombardy and Veneto region due to the Coronavirus scare, including Inter–Sampdoria, Verona–Cagliari and Atalanta–Sassuolo.
The announcement was made by PM Giuseppe Conte in a very late press conference on Saturday evening.
“Minister of Sport Vincenzo Spadafora intends to suspend all sporting events planned for Sunday in the Veneto and Lombardy regions.”
In an unprecedented move, the Prime Minister suspended all sporting events in the Lombardy and Veneto region due to the Coronavirus scare, including Inter-Sampdoria, Verona-Cagliari and Atalanta-Sassuolo.
The announcement was made by PM Giuseppe Conte in a very late press conference on Saturday evening.
“Minister of Sport Vincenzo Spadafora intends to suspend all sporting events planned for Sunday in the Veneto and Lombardy regions.”
It had already been announced on Saturday that 42 matches in the amateur and youth leagues had been called off, while Serie B fixture Ascoli v Cremonese was also postponed.
Now the situation has degenerated rapidly and three Serie A games planned for Sunday have been cancelled.
The Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, formally confirmed that Inter-Sampdoria has been postponed.
Mayor of Bergamo Giorgio Gori also announced that Atalanta-Sassuolo and Verona-Cagliari were called off.
There are entire areas of the two regions in lockdown, with schools and offices shut, after the cases of contagion increased rapidly.
Italy has already seen two deaths, while there are officially 79 people who have been diagnosed with the highly-contagious and potentially deadly disease.
They are based in Lombardy (47), Veneto (17), Emilia-Romagna (2), Lazio (two Chinese tourists) and Piedmont (one).
Italy now has more confirmed cases of Coronavirus than any other European country.
The tests for the illness seem to have been underestimated, as it is particularly dangerous because of its long incubation period, believed to be as much as a month.