STOCKHOLM - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sweden rose to 203 and over half them are in the capital Stockholm, the Public Health Agency said on Sunday.

A majority of those diagnosed in Sweden have either recently returned from northern Italy or have been in contact with someone who has visited Italy.

Among those confirmed infections in Sweden on Sunday is a school bus driver in the south.

He drove five children to school in a minibus prior to being diagnosed and then put into isolation. None of the children have experienced any symptoms but will be put in quarantine until March 18, the municipality said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Umea in northern Sweden, where pupils are due to return to school on Monday after a winter break, urged all pupils, teachers and other school employees to stay at home for at least two days if they have visited China, Italy or any other country with major outbreaks of the virus. In a statement, the municipality described the initiative as "a security measure".