Dominican Republic confirms first case of coronavirus

(REUTERS) – Health authorities in the Dominican Republic said Saturday that they had confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, a tourist visiting from Italy.

The patient, a 62-year-old man, was transferred on Sunday to an isolation room in a military hospital near the capital and is in stable condition, Health Minister Rafael Sanchez said at a press conference. Another tourist, a 56-year-old man from France, is under observation in the hospital and awaiting test results for the virus.

As coronavirus spreads rapidly around the globe, Dominican authorities on Sunday ordered the cancellation of all flights from Milan for 30 days. The measure will affect some 4,000 passengers who had reservations to fly with a low-cost airline from Milan to La Romana, a coastal tourist area, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism.

The Dominican government also said on Friday that it will subject all travelers coming from Italy, regardless of nationality, to epidemiological reviews at airports in the Caribbean nation.