Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge COVID: Stop the spread of germs when you travel By Associated Press | March 6, 2021 at 7:57 AM CST - Updated March 7 at 7:28 PM MILAN (AP) — The virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school in the Milan suburb of Bollate with amazing speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children and 14 staff members had tested positive. Genetic analysis confirmed what officials already suspected: The highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in England was racing through the community, a densely packed city of nearly 40,000 with a chemical plant and a Pirelli bicycle tire factory a 15-minute drive from the heart of Milan.