ANKARA

The coronavirus, which originated in China and has spread to over 60 countries globally, has reached Tunisia as the country confirmed its first case on Monday.

A Tunisian citizen, who returned from Italy last week, has been tested positive for the virus, Health Minister Abdelatif el-Maki told a news conference.

Countries in the Middle East have reported multiple cases, with the vast majority of them linked to an outbreak in Iran.

The virus, also known as COVID-19, has infected over 88,000 people and claimed 3,043 lives worldwide to date, according to the World Health Organization.

As part of their efforts to contain the outbreak, many governments have closed their borders and suspended land and air services with the worst-affected countries such as Italy and China.