A staff member of the European Defence Agency (EDA) has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Brussels-based agency confirmed in a press release on Wednesday, in the first case of a coronavirus infection in EU instutions.
The agency, which is tasked with promoting the cooperation of EU member countries’ defence departments, said that all meetings and events at its headquarters at the Kortenberg building in Brussels city centre would be cancelled until March 13, as a precaution.
#EDA Statement | Confirmed case of COVID-19
?https://t.co/xr2QWOWTlK pic.twitter.com/JJupRyjRz1
— EU Defence Agency (EDA) (@EUDefenceAgency) March 4, 2020
The unnamed staff member showed very light symptoms of the disease on Saturday, and is currently at home in self-imposed isolation. He had recently travelled to Milan and Cortina in Italy, and returned to Brussels on 23 February, the agency said.
Other EU institutions based in Brussels have asked employees who might have travelled through areas affected by the outbreak to work from home.
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