CORONAVIRUS: Togo records first case as Italy quarantines 16 million people

Health authorities in the West African country of Togo have confirmed the first case of the deadly coronavirus also known as COVID-19, thus becoming the fifth country in sub-Saharan Africa to confirm a case of the virus.

The government said a woman from the country’s capital of Lome, who recently visited Benin, Germany, France and Turkey, had tested positive to coronavirus and is being treated in isolation.

There are now 30 confirmed cases of coronavirus on the continent as Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Algeria and Nigeria have all confirmed cases of the deadly virus which has quickly spread across the globe.

READ ALSO: CORONAVIRUS: 12 deaths recorded in US, 225 other cases confirmed

In a related development, Italy announced an unprecedented quarantine on its northern region of Lombardy and other badly affected areas on Sunday, impacting some 16 million people, as it steps up efforts to tackle Europe’s largest outbreak of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says nobody will be allowed in or out of Lombardy or the 10 other areas until April 3.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) called the spread of the virus “deeply concerning” as a wave of countries reported on Saturday their first cases of the COVID-19 disease, which has infected more than 100,000 people across 92 nations and territories.

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