Virus fear prompts Italy to ban kisses, handshakes

Italy was set to urge people to stop greeting each other by kissing or shaking hands to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. Other measures to be approved by the government yesterday, briefed in advance to the media, include what promises to be an unpopular plan to play all football matches without fans. Italy has borne brunt in Europe of the new virus now spreading across the world faster than it is in the central Chinese region where is was first detected late last year. The Mediterranean country's 79 deaths have made Italy the world's third-most affected by number of fatalities after China and Iran. It has more than 2,500 cases in all and the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus appears to be spreading faster and wider by the day.