Italy plays down coronavirus risk as death toll rises, cases jump
![](https://r58b8e.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/worldnewsdyil2auoc8za.gif?time=1719391883)
Italy’s government, desperate to stave off a likely recession, played down on Thursday the gravity of an outbreak of coronavirus, the worst yet seen in Europe, saying it only impacted a tiny fraction of the country.