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JUST IN: First Case of Coronavirus in the Vatican

Following Continued Precautions Taken for Safety, Director of the Holy See Press Office Issues Statement

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Someone has tested positive in the Vatican for Coronavirus.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed this in a statement this morning, March 6, 2020.

«Yesterday afternoon,» his statement said, «a patient being attended in a Vatican ambulatory tested positive for COVID-19.»

«Given this first case in the Vatican,» it continued, ‘the ambulatory services of the Health and Hygiene Department of Vatican City State have been temporarily suspended.»

The First Aid Department, he clarified, continues functioning. The Vatican’s Health and Hygiene Department, the Holy See has also stated, is providing information to the competent Italian Authorities and, in the meantime, the established sanitary protocols are being followed.

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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