A female Italian tourist from Bergamo on vacation in Palermo has tested positive for the Covid19 in the first case of coronavirus found in Sicily, Italian media say.

The patient was hospitalised in isolation at the Cervello hospital on Monday night, according to reports.

Given Sicily's close proximity to Malta, the news is likely to cause some concern. The health authorities have introduced thermal screening cameras for all arrivals, including at the Malta-Sicily ferry terminal.

The woman's group of friends and people who have been in close contact with her have been placed in quarantine.

Seven people have so far died from the virus in Italy, all of whom were either elderly or had pre-existing conditions.

Italy has seen a huge jump in cases - from six to 229 since Friday - meaning it has the biggest number of confirmed infections in Europe and the third in the world.

However, on Monday the rise in new cases stabilised, with only 10 further infections reported.

Meanwhile, Italy's prime minister has blamed the management of a hospital in northern Italy for one outbreak of the virus.

"At this point, we know that the way one hospital facility was managed was not entirely appropriate," Conte told Italian TV on Monday evening.

"That certainly contributed to the spread," he said, without naming the institution concerned.

The main centre of infection has been the town of Codogno, around 60 kilometres to the south of Milan.

Codogno and several other towns in northern Italy have been put under isolation measures in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus.

On Sunday, the health authorities in Malta announced that all people arriving in Malta would be screened by thermal cameras.

Those flagged as having a fever will be taken to a specialised clinic by health authorities, to receive a mouth swab test. 

At Mater Dei Hospital, all patients with respiratory symptoms are being checked for COVID-19. 44 patients were tested on Monday, with all resulting negative for the virus.