Italian region of Piedmont plans to ask for Russia’s help in fight against COVID-19

LJUBLJANA, April 7. /TASS/. A total of 10,000 face masks have been delivered to Slovenia as part of a humanitarian assistance organized by the Russian embassy in that country, the Slovenia-Russia Friendship Society and the Slovenian Steel Group in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Russian embassy said on Tuesday.

"A total of 10,000 face masks were delivered to Slovenia yesterday. They were handed over to Ljubljana-based care homes for the elderly," it wrote on its official Twitter account.

The first coronavirus case was confirmed in Slovenia on March 4. Since then, as many as 1,055 have caught the infection. Thirty-six coronavirus-associated deaths have been reported.

A number of anti-coronavirus measures have been taken in the country, with trips within the country being prohibited, public transport services halted, cafes and restaurants being closed. People are strongly advised to stay at home and wear face masks and gloves while visiting food stores, pharmacies, post offices, filling stations and banks. Violations are punishable by fines of up to 400 euro.

In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, roughly 1,350,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 74,000 deaths have been reported. That said, over 286,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.