The State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory, telling Americans they should not travel to the Lombardy and Veneto regions in northern Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak. The number of cases in Italy has exploded in recent days, as a 40% jump in just 24 hours brought the total number of cases to 1,576. Italian officials said that five more people died, bringing the total number of deaths to 34 in just nine days.
Authorities in Italy have quarantined around 50,000 people, while local officials have closed schools, museums, movie theaters, and public offices. The streets of Milan have been emptied out as businesses are closed, and many employees are being urged to work from home to prevent the virus from spreading.
Delta Air Lines announced that they will be suspending the daily flight between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Malpensa Airport in Milan. The flights will resume in May. The airline said that flights to Rome will continue to operate as scheduled.
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