Five British Nationals – Including A Child – Contract Coronavirus In French Ski Chalet

A child is among five Britons diagnosed with coronavirus while staying at a ski resort in France.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Five British nationals including a child have been diagnosed with coronavirus while staying in a ski chalet in France.

The four adults and child were infected after coming into contact with a person who had been in Singapore, French health minister Agnes Buzyn told a press conference.

This takes the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11.

Buzyn said the group of newly-infected people with the virus had formed “a cluster” grouping around one original case.” staying in the same ski chalet in the Contamine Monjoie resort in Savoie in eastern France near Mont Blanc.

Buzyn said: “That original case was brought to our attention last night. It is a British national who had returned from Singapore where he had stayed between January 20 and 23, and he arrived in France on January 24 for four days.”

She said that the group of people newly infected with the virus were not in a serious condition.

Another health official told how two of the apartments in the ski chalet were being examined.

The five Britons whose diagnosis was confirmed, as well as people they had close contact with - 11 people in total, all of British nationality - were taken to hospital in Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Grenoble.

The health ministry confirmed their condition shows no signs of seriousness.

A crisis unit has been set up and people who have been in close and prolonged contact with these new cases will be informed during the day and given specific instructions.

LUDOVIC MARIN via Getty Images
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