Vatican confirms that Pope Francis has no coronavirus (COVID-19)

Neither Pope Francis nor any of his closest collaborators have the coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is known, so said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office.

In a March 28 note, Matteo Bruni confirmed that a Monsignor, who works at the Vatican Secretariat of State and lives in Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis lives, tested positive for the coronavirus and, "as a precaution," was immediately hospitalized.

The Italian newspaper "Il Messaggero" and the magazine "America", run by the Jesuits, published on March 25 reports about the Monsignor that were positive.

Bruni said that as of March 28, the Vatican health service had conducted more than 170 tests for the virus. No one else living in St. Martha´s House tested positive, Bruni said.

The director of the Vatican press office said:

"As soon as the Monsignor tested positive, his room and office were disinfected and all persons with whom he had been in contact in the previous days were contacted.

"The health authorities tested the people who were most in contact with the individual who tested positive.

"The results confirmed the absence of other positive cases among the residents of the Vatican guest house, but another employee of the Holy See who was in "close contact with the official" tested positive.

"That brings the number of people in the Vatican who have tested positive to six."

Hygienic measures against Covid-19 in the Vatican.

The Vatican press office confirmed the first four cases on March 24. The first, already confirmed by the Vatican on March 6, was a priest from Bergamo who had a routine pre-employment examination at the Vatican health clinic.

After his symptoms were discovered, the clinic was temporarily closed for a special cleaning, and the five people the priest came into contact with were placed in preventive quarantine.

At the same time, it was reported that the offices of the Secretariat of State were temporarily closed for a thorough cleaning.

The Vatican did not say when the next three people tested positive, but said that one worked in the Vatican warehouse and two worked in the Vatican Museums.

Extreme care against the coronavirus.

In a March 24 statement the Vatican said that "all four were placed in preventive isolation" before their test results arrived. "The isolation has already lasted more than 14 days; they are currently receiving care in Italian hospitals or in their own homes."

Both America magazine and Il Messaggero said it is unlikely that Pope Francis had any contact with the Secretary of State´s monsignor who tested positive. Both reported that Pope Francis has been eating in his room instead of the dining room since he caught a cold after Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26.

While the Vatican has cancelled all group meetings, Pope Francis continues to meet with individuals every day.

News reports say that Pope Francis and his guests use hand sanitizer before and after all meetings.