Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, have confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country.

The patient according to reports is a Belgian national who had been under quarantine at the main airport in the capital, Kinshasa.

DRC thus becomes the 11th African country to record a case. They are the second in the southern African region, the first being South Africa that has seven confirmed cases.

The country had as at last weekend started implementing a compulsory quarantine for nationals from three virus-infected countries.

The countries were: France, Italy, Germany and China. Health Ministry officials wrote to the embassies stressing that persons with symptoms were to be quarantined at a state run facility.

Whereas those with no symptoms will be requested to undergo mandatory self-quarantine of 14-days.