The first case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Lithuania, the Health Ministry reported Friday.
According to the ministry, the patient contracted the new virus in Verona, Italy and has been quarantined in a hospital in Siauliai.
The news comes as Italian authorities have urged tourists scared off by the coronavirus not to cancel their trips to the country. Over 500 people have been infected and 14 have succumbed to the disease.
The new coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan, central China, in late 2019 and has since spread to over 30 countries, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a global health emergency.
As of 28 February, the death toll from the disease in mainland China had risen by 44 to 2,788, while the number of confirmed cases increased by 327 to 78,824.
