Coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 as deadly virus kills five more people in Italy where 1,600 are infected

THE coronavirus death toll has now exceeded 3000 amid a surge in the numbers of those infected in Italy.

Italian authorities said the number of people infected in the country soared 50 per cent to 1,694 in just 24 hours, and five more have died, bringing the death toll there to 34.

Read our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates

Fears have been raised that large numbers of Brits could gave returned from the country and not know they are carrying the coronavirus.

Italy has the most cases outside Asia and in Lombardy, the centre of the outbreak there, one in ten confirmed cases involve medical personnel,

Several cities and towns in the north of the country have been put on lockdown with public events cancelled and tourist attractions closed.

Some 100,000 people are under quarantine as the Italian authorities battle to contain the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, South Korea reported 599 new coronavirus cases, taking its national tally to 4,335, following the country’s biggest daily jump on Saturday of 813 confirmed infections.

Of the new cases, 377 were from the southeastern city of Daegu, home to a branch of the secretive Shincheonji Church of Jesus, to which most of South Korea’s cases have been traced.

Prosecutors have begun murder investigation into leaders of the church, which reveres 88-year-old founder Lee Man-hee.

In January some members of the church visited the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the disease emerged late last year, the authorities say.

Lee apologised on Monday saying “it was not intentional” and calling the epidemic a “great calamity”.

Cases in France jumped to 130, an increase of 30 in one day, forcing the closure of the world famous Louvre museum, with the government banning gatherings of more than 5000 people.

Workers said they were scared of being contaminated by the stream of visitors from around the world.

There was also concern about museum workers from Italy who had come to collect works by Leonardo da Vinci that were loaned for an exhibition.

The authorities there have advised people to forgo the customary kisses on the cheek upon greeting others.

In the United States two people have now died, both in Washington State, with the latest fatality on Sunday night.

There are at least 87 confirmed cases of the coronavirus throughout America.

In China, where the epidemic began in December, reported 202 new cases on Monday, the lowest increase since January 21.

The city of Wuhan had most of the new cases but also saw 2,570 patients release, freeing up beds in the prefabricated isolation wards and hastily built hospitals in the area.

That brings China’s totals to 80,026 cases, with 2,912 deaths, the vast majority in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, which still accounts for about three-quarters of the world’s cases.

Countries including Qatar, Ecuador, Luxembourg and Ireland all confirmed their first cases over the weekend, and Indonesia followed on Monday.