Italy considering 'further measures' after coronavirus outbreak infects 51, kills two

An outbreak of the new coronavirus has killed two people and infected another 51 in northern Italy, forcing authorities to ban public events and workers in affected areas to stay home.

A 77-year-old woman who was found dead at her house 50km south of Milan on Thursday tested positive for the coronavirus, a local councillor said on Saturday (local time).

A 78-year-old man died of the infection near Padua overnight.

The man's wife and daughter are among 12 people infected by the coronavirus in the Veneto region.

Italy is the worst-affected country in Europe, with the bulk of cases concentrated in Lombardy, the country's financial and industrial heart.

Regional Welfare Councillor Giulio Gallera told reporters the centre of the outbreak was Codogno, a small town southwest of Milan where Lombardy's first infected patient was treated.

That patient was a 38-year-old man, who fell ill after meeting a friend who had visited China. His condition has stabilised, authorities said.

"All those who have tested positive are people who on February 18-19 had contacts with the emergency room and the hospital of Codogno," Mr Gallera said, adding 259 people had been screened in the area in the past two days and 35 had tested positive.

"A contagion rate of 13 percent is quite strong," he said.

Some 50,000 residents in Codogno and nearby towns have been advised to remain indoors.

Public gatherings including Sunday masses and football matches have been suspended, and schools and shops have been closed down.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the government was ready to consider further measures.