"Citizens are advised not to travel to affected areas."

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Irish citizens not to travel to certain parts of Italy that are currently affected by the coronavirus. Italy recently reported its fifth death from the coronavirus, as the number of people contracting the virus continues to increase both in Italy and elsewhere. To find out if the area to which you are travelling is an affected area, you should consult with your transport and accommodation providers. Otherwise, you can find further information on the Regional Government website of the region in question. If you are already in Italy, you can call 1500. Common signs of the infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Attilo Fontana, the president of the Lombardy region, said 165 people had now tested positive in the region, the worst-hit zone in Italy. "The number is still rising, but we are sure that the measures taken will prevent it spreading further," Fontana said. As it stands, approximately a dozen towns in Italy are in lockdown as a result of the spread of the disease, with Austria now said to be considering some form of border controls. Cillian De Gascun, The Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, recently spoke to JOE about the virus, explaining exactly how it spreads, what we know about it so far, and the potential threat to Ireland. You can check out our conversation with Cillian here.