French President Emmanuel Macron, 42, has tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing symptoms and will self-isolate for a week, according to his office on Thursday.
Macron met numerous heads of state and high-level officials in the 10 days before he tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, including most European leaders at a summit on Dec 10-11.
At the European Council meeting in Brussels, only two of 27 leaders were absent. Those in attendance included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Italian Prim Minister Giuseppe Conte, the European Parliament president, and the president of the European Commission. In the days following he also met with the Spanish Prime Minister and the Portuguese Prime Minister.
Several of those have said they would be quarantining or have tested negative.
They were wearing masks, but Macron broke his government’s no.1 pandemic rule: stick to what the French call “barrier gestures” and avoid handshakes, hugs and kisses.