ANKARA 

The coronavirus, which has spread to over 60 countries globally, reached Jordan on Monday as the kingdom confirmed its first case.

One of the two Jordanian citizens, who returned from Italy 16 days ago, has been tested positive for the virus, country's Health Minister Saad Jaber told a news conference.

He said the patient, who will remain quarantined for two weeks, was recovering well.

Countries in the Middle East have reported multiple cases, with the vast majority of them linked to an outbreak in Iran.

The virus, also known as COVID-19, has infected over 88,000 people and claimed 3,043 lives worldwide to date, according to the World Health Organization.

As part of their efforts to contain the outbreak, many governments have closed their borders and suspended land and air services with the worst-affected countries such as Italy and China.