The 12th person infected by coronavirus in Vatican City works for Pope Francis, the Holy See Press Office said today.
The person has been working remotely since early March and is now under observation at home, the Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said.
Vatican City is the seat of the Catholic church and has been a sovereign state in the middle of Rome since 1929. It has 605 residents, all with a Vatican City passport and who are out of Italy’s legal jurisdiction.
The pandemic has radically changed the way the Vatican operates, with the Pope celebrating Palm Sunday mass in an empty church and the sites normally packed with tourists empty.
The 83-year-old Pope, who has a damaged lung from an infection in his 20s, has twice tested negative for coronavirus. He is being distanced from anyone who might be carrying the virus, takes his meals in his private quarters, and uses hand sanitizer before and after meeting any guests, the Vatican press office said last month.
