Greek authorities on Wednesday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country.

A spokesman for the Greek Health Ministry said that the patient, a 38-year-old woman who had recently traveled to northern Italy, was in a Thessaloniki hospital and in good condition.

According to Sotiris Tsiodras, the head of the Infectious Diseases Department of Health Ministry, the woman is being treated at AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki, receiving antiviral treatment. She is otherwise in good health and is being monitored by a team of specialists.

People who have been in contact with the woman in recent days have been asked to remain in self-imposed quarantine.

Tsiodras stressed that the coronavirus is still considered a mild disease and he further emphasized the need to comply with hygiene rules.

In the last 24 hours, Greek health authorities tested four other people, who showed negative for the coronavirus.

Infectious disease experts had warned that the possibility of an outbreak in the country had increased, due to its geographical proximity and many commercial ties to Italy, where more than 300 cases and twelve deaths have been recorded.

The virus has infected more than 81,000 people, and killed 2,762, the vast majority of cases in mainland China, and Hubei province in particular.

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