Slovenia closing border with Italy, coronavirus cases rise to 34

The novel coronavirus continued to spread in locked-down Italy on Tuesday, with authorities confirming that 8,514 people have tested positive and 631 have died since the epidemic first emerged in northern Italy on Feb. 21. (Xinhua)

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec announced on Tuesday that he has ordered the closure of the border with Italy. "This is a necessary measure if we want to have the situation under control," he tweeted, adding that he gave the order to the health and interior affairs ministries.

The government said that the border would be closed as soon as technical and administrative conditions are met, adding that cargo transport would not be limited so as not to cause damage to the economy.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Slovenia has increased to 34 by Tuesday afternoon, according to Sarec.

The Slovenian National Security Council adopted several measures on Monday to curb the spread of coronavirus, including a 1-billion euro stimulus package to mitigate the impact on the economy.

Temperature screenings are expected to be introduced in the coming days at Ljubljana airport, which is seeing an increasing number of flight cancellations, according to local media.