by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 AM ET, Wed February 26, 2020
A patient in Barcelona has tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed case in mainland Spain.
According to The Independent, the confirmed case in Catalonia is Spain's fourth overall after three tourists from Germany, Italy and Britain all tested positive for the viral infection during visits to the Canary Islands and Mallorca.
In addition, a four-star hotel in the Canary Islands and its more than 1,000 guests have been quarantined after a case of coronavirus was confirmed when an Italian doctor in Tenerife tested positive for the virus on Monday.
The German tourist was in La Gomera when doctors confirmed the viral infection, while the third case of coronavirus was reported by a British man in Mallorca.
"For the time being, the guests will stay at the hotel until this second test and, depending on the results, appropriate health measures will be taken," Spanish government spokesperson Maria Montero told The Independent.
Switzerland and Croatia also confirmed their first cases of coronavirus this week, with Austria announced its first two cases were Italians living close to the border. Italy has become the European country most impacted by the viral outbreak.
In total, Italy has more than 260 cases and seven confirmed deaths, with the virus spreading from the north to other parts of the country, including to Sicily in the south.
As for the United States, a recent study found the country is expected to lose about 1.6 million visitors from mainland China as a result of the coronavirus, which would equate to a 28 percent decrease when compared to 2019.
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