Estonia reports first coronavirus case

Estonia reported its first coronavirus case on Thursday, a day after the man returned to the Baltic nation from a business trip in his homeland Iran.

Social Affairs Minister Tanel Kiik told public broadcaster ERR that the Iranian citizen is currently hospitalised.

"The person, a permanent resident of Estonia who is not a citizen, arrived in Estonia on Wednesday evening," Kiik said.

Local media said the man contacted the health authorities himself after arriving in Tallinn by bus from the Latvian capital Riga, where he flew in from Istanbul.

"For now, there are no plans of putting cities in quarantine following this one case," Kiik said.

"The patient is isolated, there is no risk of the disease spreading, now we have to identify all the people the patient was in contact with."

Iran has announced a total of 19 deaths and more than 130 infections, including the country's deputy health minister.

Iran's coronavirus death toll is the highest after China, where more than 2,700 people have died from the disease.

© 2020 AFP