TUNIS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Tunisia may suspend some flights to Italy to reduce its exposure to the coronavirus, Transport Minister Rene Trabelsi said on a local radio station on Monday.

“We take all measures and precautions in coordination with the Health Ministry... we will take decisions today or tomorrow to avoid any threat... we may suspend some flights,” he said on Shems FM.

More than 200 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in northern Italy since Friday and five people have died, the chief of the Civil Protection agency said on Monday.

Tunisia is a major tourist destination with numerous flights to Europe including to northern Italy. It has not yet announced any confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country.

Although rates of infection in China, where the outbreak began, have eased, the number of new cases have risen rapidly in several countries and the World Health Organisation has said it remains an international emergency.