Chinese authorities have sentenced a man to 18 months in prison after he was found guilty of lying about traveling to northern Italy, where thousands of people have been infected by the novel coronavirus.

The 29-year-old man, surnamed Guo, flew from Beijing to Milan on March 1 and returned to China on March 7, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Security.

He took a train to his hometown of Zhengzhou, in Henan province, that same day, and then took the subway to work on March 8 and March 9.

Local police quickly found out about his travel history. On March 11, Guo was charged with obstructing the prevention of infectious diseases.

Guo was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus, and more than 40 close contacts were placed in quarantine.