Switzerland's army has been put under effective quarantine after a soldier tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus.

It announced [in French] personnel would be banned from leaving military bases across the country in a bid to contain the disease.

Switzerland has compulsory military service and a high percentage of its army is made up of conscripts.

As part of this conscription system, soldiers have to take annual refresher courses, which last several days.

The soldier tested positive as he began a refresher course on Monday, the Swiss Army said in a statement. During checks, he revealed that he had recently been to Milan and military chiefs decided to test him.

The army said his condition was stable and that the three people in his room have been quarantined. The other soldiers who were in contact with the infected patient were placed in temporary quarantine overnight.

Other troops can still leave army buildings, but not the military sites themselves, a Swiss army spokesman told AFP.