Schools and universities will be closed in Italy from 5 to 15 March amid a coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported, citing the Italian education minister.
The statement comes after the death toll from the virus outbreak in Italy rose by 28 over the past 24 hours to 107, according to the Civil Protection Agency.
"Let us start from those who have recovered. Over the past 24 hours, 116 people have recovered, bringing the total number to 276. The number of victims grew by 28 to 107", Angelo Borrelli, the head of the national Civil Protection Agency, said at a briefing.
The total number of COVID-19-affected people, including those who have recovered and those who have died, has reached 3,089, Borrelli added.
Following the reports, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated that the country's health service risks being overwhelmed by the coronavirus.
Italy currently has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe. Globally, the coronavirus disease has infected over 93,000 people, of whom nearly 3,200 have died and over 50,000 have recovered. It has already spread to more than 70 countries around the world.