Macron's office confirmed Thursday that the 42-year-old Macron received a test after experiencing symptoms of the virus, which later came back positive.
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Updated December 17, 2020
France’s President Emmanuel Macron leaves a round table meeting during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, on December 11, 2020. PHOTO: Kenzo Tribouillard / POOL / AFP
A host of European leaders and top French officials rushed into isolation on Thursday after European leaders tested positive for Covid-19, upending 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 tested after the “onset of the first symptoms” and will now self isolate for seven days in accordance with national regulations, his office said in a statement.
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“The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today,” Macron’s office said in a statement. “This diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms.”
Macron would self-isolate for the next seven days and would continue to run the country remotely. His wife Brigitte was also self-isolating.
The French leader’s office, which declined to give details of his condition or which symptoms he had, said all Macron’s trips had been cancelled, including a Dec. 22 visit to Lebanon.
Macron attended a European summit late last week at which he met a host of EU leaders to discuss the European Union’s budget, climate change and Turkey.
French President Emmanuel Macron reacts as he meets Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Paris. That evening, he began showing symptoms of illness and he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)I
(CN) French President Emmanuel Macron became the latest world leader to test positive for Covid-19 on Thursday after he showed mild symptoms overnight.
The Elysee said the 42-year-old president was self-isolating for seven days and working from his residence. His infection from the novel coronavirus showed up in a PCR test.
Macron had spent the previous week attending several meetings with other national leaders and top officials, raising the risk that he infected others.