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French President Emmanuel Macron, 42, underwent tests after the “ onset of the first symptoms ” and will now self-isolate himself for seven days in accordance with national regulations, his office said in a statement.
An image taken on December 16, 2020 shows French President Emmanuel Macron addressing the press upon the arrival of the Portuguese prime minister for a working lunch at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. Image: AFP.
PARIS – A host of European leaders and senior French officials rushed to isolate themselves on Thursday after President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19, changing political agendas across the continent.
A flurry of contact tracing followed France’s confirmation that Macron had become the latest world leader to contract COVID-19, following the likes of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump.
Macron, 42, was evaluated after “the onset of the first symptoms” and will now self-isolate himself for seven days in accordance with national regulations, his office said in a statement.
“It will continue to work and carry out its activities remotely,” the statement said.
An official later added that he was experiencing “mild symptoms” that he had started to feel Wednesday night.
The timing is uncomfortable for Macron, who is trying to manage the pandemic crisis in his own country while keeping a close eye on the Brexit talks and a host of other international issues.
Officials emphasized that he was still working and was participating in a conference on economic development Thursday afternoon.
Macron attended an EU summit in Brussels last week and on Monday he went to a conference in Paris organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, were at the Paris conference and are in isolation.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has also self-isolated and canceled all immediate events on his schedule after having lunch with Macron on Wednesday.
Macron canceled a scheduled trip to Lebanon, where he had been pushing for far-reaching political change after a giant explosion in the port of Beirut in August.
DINNER WITH ALLIES
A source close to the French administration, who asked not to be named, said Macron may have contracted the virus at an EU summit in Brussels last week.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel began isolating himself on Thursday pending a test result after attending the EU summit.
But a German government spokeswoman said Chancellor Angela Merkel took a test a few days after the EU summit and it came back negative.
It also emerged that Macron had met with a dozen political allies, including Prime Minister Jean Castex, over dinner on Wednesday night.
The numbers present doubled the maximum of six at a single table recommended by the government. But a source close to the administration insisted that the table had been large enough to ensure strict social distancing.
The source described the event as a “business meeting in the form of a dinner.”
Castex will self-isolate after contact with Macron, his office said, adding that he was showing no symptoms and had tested negative.
You need another confirmed negative result before you can come out of isolation next week.
Macron’s wife, Brigitte, will also isolate herself, but is also showing no symptoms and has tested negative.
Other world leaders were quick to wish Macron a speedy recovery.
“I’m sorry to hear that my friend @EmmanuelMacron tested positive for coronavirus. We all wish you a speedy recovery,” tweeted Johnson, who has clashed with Macron in recent months over Brexit talks.
The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was with Macron “with all my heart”.
“We are going to beat this pandemic together,” he said on Twitter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had learned of Maron’s positive test “with alarm” and wished his French counterpart a “speedy recovery and good health for many years.”
STILL HIGH INFECTIONS
Macron had repeatedly called for precaution against the spread of the virus and in public he always wears a mask that covers his mouth and nose.
France earlier this week eased restrictions imposed to fight the second wave of the coronavirus, but infection rates remain high.
There is still a nationwide nightly curfew starting at 8:00 pm to stop the spread of the virus, while restaurants and cafes, as well as theaters and cinemas, remain closed.
More than 59,300 people have died in France since the start of the pandemic.
More than 17,000 new cases were reported on Wednesday alone, raising concern as people shop and travel before the Christmas holidays.
Like other EU countries, France is pinning her hopes on a vaccine. Von der Leyen said on Thursday that the EU would start vaccines on December 27.
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