The French citizen, who had recently returned from the United Kingdom, has tested positive for the new strain of the coronavirus in the city of Tours, the BFMTV broadcaster reported on late Friday, citing the national Health Ministry.

The man has no symptoms of the disease and is currently undergoing self-isolation at home.

The new strain of the coronavirus was firstly detected in the United Kingdom last week.

This type of the virus is 70 percent more transmissible than other SARS-CoV-2 variants. On Friday, the World Health Organization said that the new type of the coronavirus had been already registered in eight European countries.