French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for coronavirus, a few days after meetings with world leaders across Europe.
According to the statement by the Elysee palace, which confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive, on Thursday morning stated that Macron was tested after showing symptoms of Covid-19.
President Emmanuel Macron will now undertake an isolation period of seven days, but will continue to carry out his work remotely. The statement gave little detail about the president’s condition.
‘He will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,’ it said. The French president was pictured just yesterday standing next to Portugal’s prime minister, Antonio Costa, before the pair delivered a joint news conference. Both world leaders were wearing masks when photographed next to each other.
French President Emmanuel Macron was also pictured with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday. President Macron has also been at centre stage of Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU over the last few weeks.
It is unknown whether his 67-year-old wife, Brigitte, who he usually lives with at the palace also has the virus. He was due to visit Lebanon next week, but the palace said the trip has now been cancelled. The news comes after France has started lifting coronavirus restrictions after the country was in a period of lockdown
A number of world leaders have had the virus since the start of the pandemic, including Boris Johnson, Donald Trump (and his wife Melania), Bolivian president Jeanine Anez, Brazil premier Jair Bolsonaro and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. And sadly this week it was confirmed the Prime Minister of Eswatini became the first world leader to die after testing positive for coronavirus.
Ambrose Dlamini, 52, was elected to lead the southern African kingdom formerly known as Swaziland in 2018. Mr Dlamini’s death was announced by government officials on Twitter after he revealed he had tested positive for Covid-19 on November 16. He said at the time he was asymptomatic but feeling well, but less than a fortnight later he was moved to a hospital in South Africa. Authorities confirmed at the weekend that he died ‘while under medical care’.