Vatican City reports 12 COVID-19 cases, twelfth patient works for Pope Francis

Vatican City has reported a twelfth confirmed case of coronavirus who works for Pope Francis and has been working remotely since March, said the Holy See press office on May 6. Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See press office, said in a statement that a new positive case of COVID-19 was recently confirmed and the patient has been kept under observation at home.

“The person had been working remotely since the first days of March and when symptoms arrived (they) remained in fiduciary home isolation,” said Bruni.

Pope Francis had tested negative for the novel coronavirus after the health condition of the 83-year-old triggered fear of a possible infection. Pope’s health condition had also forced him to skip the week-long Lenten spiritual retreat with senior Vatican officials near Rome for the first time in his papacy since his election in 2013.

Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is surrounded by Rome, Italy, one of the worst-hit regions due to coronavirus pandemic. After the virus swept Italy in March with an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus cases, the Vatican came under pressure to let more employees work from home.

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Issue over work from home

However, several offices of Vatican remained open till late March even after the Italian government announced stay-at-home orders and shut down non-essential businesses in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. Some of the employees reportedly raised alarm over the Vatican’s approach to the coronavirus crisis, putting people at risk of exposure.

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(Image: AP)