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First coronavirus case confirmed in the Caribbean
The COVID-19 virus has breached the Caribbean region with the first reported case confirmed in the Dominican Republic.
At the same time confirmed cases were also reported in St Barths and St Martin.
The patient in the Dominican Republic is a 62-year old tourist from Italy.
The tourist was put in isolation on Sunday, health minister Rafael Sanchez said.
Just before the weekend the Dom Rep banned flights from Milan for the next 30 days which will impact about 4,000 passengers booked on Caribbean vacations, according to the ministry of tourism.
Italy is Europe’s virus hotspot with 34 deaths and nearly 1,700 infections.
Health officials said all travellers coming from Italy, regardless of nationality, will undergo epidemiological tests on arrival.
According to local media, the virus has infected a family of three in St Barts – a resident and his parents visiting from France.
The global death toll of the virus has now surpassed 3,000.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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