Greece announces 9th confirmed case of novel coronavirus

Greece's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday the 9th confirmed novel coronavirus case in the country.

The patient is a Greek national who had recently travelled from Israel and Egypt. The man is currently hospitalized in the city port of Patras in western Greece, according to an e-mailed press statement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Greek authorities had reported another case. It was a Greek man who was a close contact of one of the previous confirmed cases and is hospitalized in the city of Thessaloniki.

The first cases reported in Greece concerned Greeks who had recently travelled to Italy and their close contacts, family members and friends.

Since the first case was reported on Feb. 26, the authorities have been gradually implementing measures to prevent the spread of the virus.