Serbia Announces First Coronavirus Case

The first case of coronavirus in Serbia has been diagnosed in a man who had been in Hungary, the country's health minster announced on Friday. 

"The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Serbia. It is a 43-year-old man from Subotica (north) who recently stayed in Hungary, in Budapest," said Zlatibor Loncar at a press conference. 

The man is in solitary confinement at the Subotica hospital and his health is good, the minister said.

The people with whom he came into contact have been tested. 

"There is no need to panic, you have to behave in accordance with the authorities' recommendations," added the minister who said the patient behaved "responsibly".

Serbia is the fourth country comprising the former Yugoslavia to have reported cases of infection following Croatia (11 cases), North Macedonia (one case) and Bosnia (two cases). 

The virus, which now affects around 90 countries and territories, has infected more than 98,000 people worldwide and left nearly 3,400 people dead. 

At 0900 GMT Friday, Europe had registered 5,701 cases with 161 deaths, all but 13 of those in Italy.