French president Emmanuel Macron tests positive for COVID-19

French president Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, his office informed in a statement.

“This diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms,” the statement read.

The president took a test as soon as the first symptoms appeared, AP reported. Macron will remain isolated for a week, however,” he will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,” the statement added.

Macron had a trip scheduled for next week to Lebanon, which has been cancelled.

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Macron had on Wednesday (December 16) attended a weekly Cabinet meeting, where Prime Minister Jean Castex and other Ministers were also present. On December 16, he also met the Prime Minister of Portugal, however there has been no comment from Portuguese officials.

He had also attended a European Union summit at the end of last week, and had a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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Macron and other government officials have continously said that they have been adhering to COVID-19 norms, such as wearing a mask, not shaking hands, and personal distancing.

Apart from Macron, other world leaders who tested positive are former US President Donald Trump, who announced in October that he and his wife, Melania, tested positive; UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had tested positive in March and was also hospitalised as a precautionary measure;Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, had tested positive in July, and Amit Shah, India’s Union Home Minister, who tested positive in August.