French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary General Angel Gurria at the Elysee Palace as part of events marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the OECD convention in Paris, France (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)

French PM Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive For Coronavirus

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19. French officials confirmed on Friday that Macron was experiencing coronavirus symptoms such as fever and cough.

Macron’s office said that the president will be self-isolating for at least a week. People – including other European leaders – that had come into contact with Macron for the past few days have been advised to get tested and to self-isolate.

An Élysée spokesperson said that Macron will be staying at the presidential residence La Lanterne in Versailles for seven days. Macron’s wife, First Lady Brigitte Macron, will also be going into quarantine – although she reportedly “presented no symptoms.”

Notable political figures that had met with Macron over the past few days include Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, European Council President Charles Michel.

Macron met with the Spanish Prime Minister on Monday. He then met with the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, on Tuesday. This was followed by a meeting with the Portuguese Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Last week, Macron attended a European Council meeting in Brussels – an event attended by 25 of the 27 EU leaders.

How Macron had contracted the disease still remains a mystery. French officials have declined to speculate. The relatively young 42-year-old European leader is expected to survive the illness but experts have warned that COVID-19 still remains unpredictable.

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