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PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his COVID-19 on a combination of negligence and bad luck, and urged his compatriots to stay safe as critics denounced errors in their behavior to prevent infections, from a squeeze from short-distance hands to repeated large group meals over the past week.
In what appeared to be a self-directed video of the presidential retreat in Versailles where he found himself isolated with symptoms including headaches, fatigue and a dry cough, Macron promised to give daily updates and be “totally transparent” about the progress of his illness.
“I’m fine,” he said, speaking quietly and dressed casually in a high-necked blouse. “Normally, there is no reason for it to evolve badly.”
The 42-year-old French leader said his infection “shows that the virus can really affect everyone, because I am very protected and very careful.”
“Despite everything, I caught this virus, perhaps, without a doubt, a moment of negligence, a moment of bad luck too,” he said.
READ: French President Macron tests positive for COVID-19
A leading European colleague who spent time with Macron at an EU summit last week, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, tested positive for the virus on Friday. Some other leaders present at the summit reported testing negative, while some were not getting tested and others have yet to announce their test results.
In France, Macron faced criticism for actions that were seen as a bad example, as the country sees a new spike in confirmed cases and doctors warn families to take precautions this holiday season, especially at the dinner table.
While Macron generally wears a mask and adheres to social distancing rules, and has insisted his virus strategy is driven by science, the president has been caught on camera in recent days violating virus control guidelines. from France.
He shook hands and half hugged the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ángel Gurría, in a meeting on Monday. Both were masked, but Macron’s office acknowledged on Friday that the move was a “mistake.”
Last week, Macron spent two days in intense negotiations at the EU summit in Brussels with the leaders of the other 26 member countries. Video excerpts released by the EU showed the leaders scattered in a circle in a huge meeting room: Macron and most of the other leaders were not masked.
READ: France may start COVID-19 vaccines in the last week of December: PM
Macron also hosted or participated in multiple large group meals in the days leading up to Thursday’s positive test, including with members of his centrist party and rival politicians, while the French are currently advised to avoid gatherings of more than six people. His office has been contacting those present for meals, but he told some people seated away from the president that they were not considered at risk.
Macron’s office does not provide details of his treatment. He is staying at the presidential residence of La Lanterne in the old royal city of Versailles, hidden in a grove heavily guarded by the police.
Macron’s positive test comes as French health authorities again see an increase in infections and warn of more as French families prepare to reunite for the Christmas and New Year festivities. France reported another 18,254 new infections on Thursday and its death toll is just under 60,000.
France’s Pasteur Institute published a study on Friday suggesting that meal times at home and in public are a major source of contamination. Pasteur’s epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet said on France-Inter radio on Friday that during the holidays, “we can see each other, just not be too numerous, and at critical meal times, there are not too many people at the same table.” .
READ: New COVID-19 cases in France rise, hospitalizations resume downward trend
Macron underwent a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared” on Thursday morning and will self-isolate himself for seven days, in accordance with the recommendations of national health authorities, the presidency said. Macron plans to keep working and went ahead with a planned speech via video conference on Thursday.
The French health minister suggested that Macron might have been infected at the EU summit in Brussels last week, but Macron also had multiple meetings in Paris.
France had the first virus case in Europe in January, but the Macron government was criticized for not having enough masks or tests and not confining the population quickly enough. A strict two-month lockdown reduced infections and France sent the children to school and their parents to work.
But infections spiked again this fall, so he declared a new, softer lockdown in October aimed at easing pressure on hospitals. The measures were relaxed slightly this week, although restaurants, tourist sites, gyms and some other facilities remain closed.
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