Eight new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Croatia, bringing the total number of infected to 27, the national crisis management team reported on Thursday, announcing that public gatherings throughout the country would be restricted to 100 people.

Three new cases were found in persons who were in close contact with those infected in the Adriatic city of Rijeka, while two others, who have been quarantined in the Zagreb Fran Mihaljevic hospital, are not linked with any of the previously confirmed cases in Croatia.

One of them had recently returned from Austria, while the other had travelled back from Germany. The sixth case was confirmed in a 23-year-old man, who had recently returned from Italy, in the central Croatian town of Petrinja. The latest two cases were found in the Istrian city of Pula.

Three people have in the meantime fully recovered and will be discharged from hospital in the next two days, Health Minister Vili Beros confirmed earlier on Thursday.

One of the newly confirmed cases is exhibiting only mild symptoms of the disease, while the other is in a slightly more serious condition, although his life is not in danger, the head of the Fran Mihaljevic hospital, Alemka Markotic, said.

Markotic also called for responsible behavior, appealing to the people to follow the instructions from health officials and not to believe unconfirmed sources.

A fake audio recording went viral on social media in the past few days, in which Zagreb’s top city officials are supposedly heard admitting that the “real” case count is much higher than the officially reported 19. The recording also included discussions of plans to close off the entire city within 48 hours.

“False information that the exact figures of those infected are being hidden from the public is an insult to all health workers who are doing incredible work,” Markotic said. 

The government resolutely rejected the fake claims on Thursday morning, and Health Minister Beros warned that “stirring up false alarms is a criminal offence.”

Meanwhile, Zagreb theatres, including the National Theatre, have announced they would suspend all performances until further notice. Smaller theatre venues will continue to put on plays for audiences of fewer than 100 people.

The national football league has also suspended all matches until April 1.

Death toll in Italy surpasses 1,000

Italy remains the second-worst hit country in the world, after China where the virus first appeared in December last year.

Rome has released new figures on Thursday, according to which more than 12,830 people are infected in the country, including nearly 2,300 new cases discovered in the last 24 hours alone.

To date, 1,016 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy and more than 1,250 have recovered.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday that unprecedented measures will be imposed throughout the country in desperate attempt to stem the outbreak, ordering all businesses except grocery shops, pharmacies, and banks to be closed. Earlier this week, the entire country has been put on lockdown.

Slovenia declares epidemic, Serbia closes several border crossings

Slovenia declared a coronavirus epidemic on Thursday afternoon after new confirmed cases brought the country’s total to 96 patients.

The designation will grant authorities more powers in containing the outbreak. In addition, all kindergartens, schools, and universities will be closed.

Serbia’s Interior Ministry announced that 40 smaller border crossings with all eight neighbouring countries would be closed for traffic starting on Thursday morning.

This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.