Life inside a red zone: Schoolteacher Marzio Toniolo, 35, takes a picture of his reflection on a mirror on a street in San Fiorano, one of the towns on lockdown due to a coronavirus outbreak, in San Fiorano, Italy, March 1, 2020. Marzio Toniolo via REUTERS

ROME (Reuters) - Italy is considering setting up a new quarantine red-zone near the northern city of Bergamo given the high number of coronavirus cases in the area, the head of the national health institute said on Tuesday.

The Italian government set up two red-zones on Feb. 22 -- one centered on 10 towns in the region of Lombardy, southeast of the country’s financial capital Milan, and another, smaller one in the neighboring region of Veneto.

Since then, a growing number of cases have emerged near Bergamo, northeast of Milan. “We are considering the possibility of adopting a measure like this one,” health chief Silvio Brusaferro said after being asked if a new red-zone might be created.