Daily US Times: French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing several European leaders to self-isolate after coming into contact with him.
The Elysée Palace said in a statement that Mr Macron was tested after developing symptoms and will now self-isolate for seven days.
The 42-year-old president “is still in charge” of running the country and will work remotely.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and EU chief Charles Michel are among the leaders having to self-isolate.
This week, France ended a six-week national lockdown, replacing the measure with a curfew to help contain the virus.
There have been nearly 2.5 million confirmed cases in France since the epidemic began, with about 60 thousands deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
France plans to start rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination programme from 27 December.
The Elysée said on Thursday morning that “The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 today.” The statement confirmed Mr Macron has tested positive for Covid-19, and his treatment.
The statement added that the diagnosis was made following a “test performed at the onset of the first symptoms”.
It is not yet known how Mr Macron infected by the virus but his office said it was identifying any close contacts he had made in recent days.
These include Prime Minister Jean Castex and parliamentary speaker Richard Ferrand, who are both self-isolating, their offices confirmed.
Mr Castex is not showing any symptoms and has tested negative. He was due to introduce the government’s coronavirus vaccination policy in the Senate on Thursday – now Health Minister Olivier Véran is doing it instead.
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