Vatican Spokesman Confirms First Case of Coronavirus

Pope Francis holds two books he presented as a gift to cardinals and bishops on the occasion of his Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia, in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican on Dec. 21, 2019. Andrew Medichini,AP-Pool

Vatican City officials on Friday confirmed the small city-state’s first COVID-19 coronavirus and closed down several offices in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

The Vatican also closed down a health clinic after a priest from France tested positive for the virus on Thursday. The Vatican put one official who was exposed to the infected priest under quarantine, said spokesman Matteo Bruni in an Associated Press report on Friday.