Shawdesh Desk:

The Pope, who is ill, tests negative for the virus, says an Italian newspaper.

Earlier Pope Francis announced on Sunday that a cold he is suffering from has forced him to skip a Lenten spiritual retreat with senior Vatican officials near Rome for the first time in his papacy. The surprise announcement, which will keep him from attending a gathering he holds dear, marked the first health scare for the 83-year-old pontiff since his election in 2013.

As of late Saturday night, the Vatican said that the pope would be taking part in the retreat, indicating that the decision to skip it was a last-minute one.

The retreat was due to start on Sunday afternoon.The pope made the announcement to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square during his first public appearance since last Wednesday, when he was seen coughing and sneezing.

“Unfortunately, a cold will force me not take part this year (in the retreat). I will follow the meditations from here,” he said, departing from his prepared address.

Pope Francis coughed several times while making his brief address on Sunday and sounded like he had a stuffy nose.

Italy reports drop in new coronavirus cases
Italy has reported its first dip in new cases from the coronavirus outbreak.
On Monday, Italian authorities said there were 258 new cases of the virus – a 16% increase on the previous day.
The head of Italy’s Civil Protection Authority, Angelo Borrelli, said the figure was “comforting” after new cases spiked by 50% on Sunday.
Monday’s increase brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,835. Of those, 52 have died and 149 have recovered.
Half of all confirmed coronavirus patients in the country have mild conditions and have been told to stay at home, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
Some 40% are in hospital and only 10% are in intensive care, Ansa reported.
Italy has the third highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, behind South Korea and China, where the illness originated in the city of Wuhan.
Italian authorities have responded with travel restrictions in the north of the country, with a number of towns in Lombardy in lockdown.