NATO staff member tests positive for COVID-19

March 9 (UPI) -- A NATO staff member in Belgium has tested positive for COVID-19, the intergovernmental military alliance said Monday.

The unnamed staff member had recently returned from holiday to Brussels where NATO headquarters is located from northern Italy, which is one of the world's largest and still growing clusters of COVID-19, and felt unwell at the end of last week, NATO said in a press release.

"Within minutes of receiving the result, all immediate work colleagues were informed," the statement read. "They had been working from home at the end of last week and continue to do so."

The staff member is at home in isolation, it said.

NATO said all staff at its headquarters have been notified of the confirmed case and it will monitor the situation. It said it has taken preventative measures based on the guidance of the World Health Organization, including the temporary suspension of certain staff travel as well as group visits to the headquarters. Staff have also been encouraged to telecommute, it sad.

"We remain in close contact with the Belgian authorities," it said.

Belgium's Ministry of Health confirmed 39 new cases of COVID-19 in a statement, increasing its number of infections to 239