The person who lives in papal residence is positive for coronavirus

A person who lives in the same Vatican residence as Pope Francis has tested positive for coronavirus and is being treated in an Italian hospital, according to reports from the Rome newspaper Il Messaggero.

Francesco, who has canceled public appearances and is leading his general public through television and the Internet, has lived in the pension, known as Santa Marta, since his election in 2013.

Santa Marta has around 130 rooms and suites, but many are not occupied now, a Vatican source said.

Almost all current residents live there permanently. Most of the external guests have not been accepted since Italy suffered a national blockade earlier this month.

The Messenger said that the person works in the Vatican Secretariat of State and a Vatican source said he was believed to be a priest.

The Vatican said on Tuesday that four people have so far proven positive within the city-state, but those listed do not reside in the pension where the 83-year-old pope lives.

Italy has seen more victims than any other country, with the latest data on Wednesday showing that 7.503 people died from the infection in just a month.

The Vatican is surrounded by Rome and most of its employees live in the Italian capital.

In the past few weeks, the Vatican has told most employees to work from home, but has kept its main offices open, albeit with limited staff.

Inaugurated in 1996, Santa Marta is home to cardinals who come to Rome and lock themselves in a conclave to elect a new pope in the Sistine Chapel.

It is unclear whether the pope has eaten in the pension's common dining room recently as he had previously.

Francis opted to live in a suite in the pension instead of the spacious but isolated papal apartments in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, as did his predecessors.