Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has called for calm after Brisbane's first case of coronavirus was reported on Tuesday morning, saying he would still shake hands when he greeted people.

A 20-year-old man from China, a student at the University of Queensland, was diagnosed and remains in a stable condition at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital after flying in from Dubai in late February.

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said he would continue to shake people's hands, as it was part of his job. Credit:Tammy Law

"I'm definitely concerned about the economic impact on our universities, on our tourism industry, on small business," Cr Schrinner said.

"But having said that, I think it is important not to overstate the risk here, for people to remain calm.