The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the island.

In a statement issued just before 11pm on Thursday night, the government said: ’A patient on the island has today, Thursday 19 March, tested positive for coronavirus.

’The patient had recently returned to the Isle of Man from a trip to Spain.

’The Public Health team has been in touch with the patient to provide advice and support, and will start contact tracing.’

Chief Minister Howard Quayle will give a full media briefing today.It is understood that the man who has tested positive for coronavirus arrived in the island on the 11am easyJet flight from Liverpool on Sunday.The man, who works for Capital International, began feeling unwell shortly afterwards and immediately went into a period of self-isolation. His wife posted on Facebook that her husband had tested positive.She said she wanted to alert anyone who had been in contact with him since he returned from Spain on Sunday.The post was later removed.