RIGA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian national who had flown into Riga Airport from Turkey on Wednesday and traveled to Tallinn by passenger bus has become the first person in Estonia and the whole Baltics to test positive for the novel coronavirus, the Baltic countries' health authorities informed on Thursday.
Estonian Health Minister Tanel Kiik said that the infected Iranian, a 34-year-old man who resides in Estonia, apparently caught the contagion in Iran where he had been on a business trip. The man is currently in isolation, Estonian authorities said.
The Latvian Center for Disease Prevention and Control noted that they had contacted Estonian colleagues who are providing all the necessary information. All the passengers that traveled with the infected man, including Latvians, will be identified and measures taken to prevent these people from spreading the infection. They will be told to self-quarantine and their health condition will be constantly monitored.
The Latvian health authority has established that the Iranian had spent around 2.5 hours in Riga and took minibus to travel from the airport to the coach terminal.
A Latvian border guard who had come into contact with the Iranian passenger at Riga Airport is currently being tested for the COVID-19 infection, said Border Guard spokeswoman Kristine Petersone.
Latvia's infectious diseases experts have warned that sooner or later, COVID-19 will inevitably reach Latvia, but that the goal is to ensure it happens as late as possible.
