The Vatican has reported its first case of coronavirus, Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni said on Friday morning.
"This morning all outpatient services of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the State of the Vatican City have been suspended to sanitize the rooms after a patient yesterday tested positive for Codiv-19", Bruni said.
The Emergency Room remains open, he said.
"The Directorate of Health and Hygiene is informing the appropriate Italian authorities and meanwhile the planned health protocols have been activated", the spokesman added.
The patient has been taken from the Vatican to a hospital in Rome, sources said.
The Vatican is considering having the pope give his Angelus address on Sunday only via video, rather than directly from the window of the papal apartments, due to the coronavirus, ANSA sources said Friday. The Holy See is looking at ways to make it possible to continue with the appointments for the faithful that usually draw big crowds but without increasing the risk of contagion.
The video-only option is also being considered for the pope's weekly general audience on Wednesday, the sources said. Although the crowds for these events have decreased because of the coronavirus emergency, queues and clusters of people still tend to form in some areas.
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