The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its latest report that the risk associated with the coronavirus infection for people in Europe "is currently considered to be low to moderate."

This EU health agency said in the press release issued on its website on Sunday evening that “all previously reported cases in the EU/EEA and the UK have clearly established epidemiological links; contact tracing measures have been in place to contain further spread.”

“Extraordinary public health measures have been implemented in northern Italy and strong efforts are being made to identify, isolate and test contacts in order to contain the outbreak.

“The probability of further transmission in the EU/EEA and the UK is considered to be low, but cannot be excluded because a high level of uncertainties with several unpredictable factors and a situation that is still evolving,” the agency said.

Since the start of this year, 78 833 cases of coronavirus (in accordance with the applied case definitions in the affected countries) have been reported.

According to the latest reprots by Italian media outlets, six persons have so far died from this infection in the north of the country.