French hospital releases last quarantined patient

The last of the patients quarantined in France due to coronavirus infection has been treated and released from a hospital in Lyon, the country's health minister has said.

The man, a British national who contracted the virus while vacationing last month in the French Alps, is deemed no longer infectious, Oliver Vera told reporters late Monday.

"There are no identified patients" or circulation of the virus in France, he added.

After the initial 12 diagnosed cases in January and February in France, each patient has healed except for one man who died on Feb. 14, an 80-year-old tourist of Chinese origin.

Regardless, France remains on alert as the disease has spread close to home: seven people have died in Italy over the past few days in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Some 283 positive cases have also been detected, according to Italy's Health Ministry.

A bus returning from Milan on Monday was halted in Lyon in light of the driver, an Italian national, exhibiting a strong cough and other symptoms of the virus. He was taken to hospital for evaluation. The passengers were held at a station for several hours, finally disembarking, each person with a protective mask.

The French government has issued a series of recommendations for those returning from northern Italian regions, including an incubation period of 14 days and a prohibition of children returning to school.