Poland announces first coronavirus case

FRANKFURT/ WARSAW: Poland on Wednesday announced its first case of coronavirus while adding that nearly 70 people were being tested for the disease.

The man, who had visited Germany, is "not part of a risk group" and his life is not in danger, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski told a news conference.

He indicated the man was not elderly, whose lives are at greater risk.



He was hospitalised in the western city of Zielona Gora with a high fever and other symptoms of the disease that has killed more than 3,000 people and infected around 92,000 globally.

Szumowski said the patient had had "relatively little contact" with other people.

Another 68 people are undergoing tests in Polish hospitals to determine whether they are suffering from COVID-19, while around 500 are in quarantine, Szumowski said.



Germany bans export of medical protection gear over coronavirus

Germany's interior ministry on Wednesday said it had banned exports of medical protection gear such as masks and gloves to ensure health workers in the country have enough to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

The ministry said in a statement that it had published an order outlawing "the export abroad of medical protective gear (masks, gloves, protective suits, etc.)".

Exceptions can be made in some cases, for instance as part of "international aid missions", it added.