"An imported COVID-19 coronavirus infection case was confirmed on March 2 in Russian national who returned from Italy," the spokesman said, adding that the patient has a mild form of the disease.

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. A Russian national have been tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning from Italy, a spokesman for Russia’s coronavirus response headquarters said on Monday.

According to the spokesman, the young man contracted the infection when he was vacationing in Italy in late February. He returned home on February 23 and sought medical assistance with symptoms of an acute respiratory disease on February 27 to be immediately taken to hospital. Laboratory tests confirmed coronavirus infection.

"Those who contacted with the man both in Italy and at home have been placed under medical monitoring, either in hospital or at home. Laboratory testing is underway," the spokesman stressed.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple foci.

Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported from 67 other countries, including Russia. The most serious situation outside China is reported in Italy and South Korea. According to the latest update, the number of confirmed cases of the disease in China has exceeded 80,000, with more than 2,900 people killed by this coronavirus. More than 44,400 have recovered.