SAO PAULO: A 78-year-old Canadian who was on a cruise ship isolated in Brazil's northeastern port of Recife tested positive for coronavirus, Brazilian TV network Globo reported on Saturday (Mar 14), citing a press conference.

The ship with 609 people on board has been isolated in Recife since Thursday morning after this passenger showed symptoms similar to those of the new coronavirus.



An Irish woman who was also on the cruise ship is also being tested.

The remaining passengers and crew members are still being kept in isolation in their cabins. The vessel, with the Bahamas flag, came from the Brazilian port city of Salvador.

The Pernambuco state health secretariat did not immediately confirm the report.



Brazil's health ministry confirmed on Saturday 121 coronavirus cases in the country, 23 more than on Friday.

In an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two most hit by the virus, ordered schools to shut down.



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