At least 19 people at a Rome pontifical university tested positive for the coronavirus and six have been hospitalised for their symptoms, the rector said.
After one resident at the Pontifical Salesian University began having symptoms related to Covid-19, local health authorities were alerted and they began to test all residents, the rector, Salesian Father Mauro Mantovani told the newspaper Il Messaggero.
The university, which has been conducting classes online since March 5, houses about 280 members of six religious orders.
The 19 people who tested positive were put in isolation, he told RomaSette.it, a news outlet for the Diocese of Rome.
The entire university has been isolated as a "red zone", with only authorised personnel allowed to leave or enter. Tests on all residents were expected to be finished by April 28.
"We are also sorry for the worry we have caused here in the area, in this neighbourhood in Rome, where we have been present and where the community has appreciated us and loves us," he told Il Messaggero.
At first, they thought they only had one isolated case of coronavirus, he said; instead, testing showed the problem was much more extensive and the university wanted to inform the wider community about the unfolding situation, he said.
"We are facing this with the spirit" of their founder, St. John Bosco, "as good Christians and honest citizens," he told the Catholic newspaper, Avvenire.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has spoken of how, when faced with uncertainties, adversities or trials, those who place their trust in Christ will not be left alone to fend for themselves.
Just as the disciples left Jerusalem after Christ's death and headed to Emmaus with only their sadness and fear, people may often find themselves discouraged when solely focused on their own hopelessness, the pope said yesterday before reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer.
Nevertheless, Christians are called to hope in God and not focus on doubt or fear, he said in the address, which was livestreamed from the library of the Apostolic Palace.