Paris:
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday acknowledged he had been “slowed down” by his Covid-19 infection but insisted he was carrying out properly, as the country’s coronavirus deaths topped 60,000.
Macron is working in self-isolation from an official residence outdoors Paris immediately after he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday in a outcome that triggered alarm across Europe.
“I am doing well. I have the same symptoms as yesterday: tiredness, headaches, dry cough. Like hundreds of thousands of others of you,” Macron mentioned in a video message posted on his Twitter account that he appeared to have recorded himself with a telephone.
“My activity is a little slowed down due to the virus. But I am continuing to take care of the priority issues like the epidemic or, for example, Brexit,” he mentioned.
Later Friday France’s public well being agency reported that the quantity of deaths in the nation triggered by the new coronavirus had topped 60,000.
Health authorities in France have voiced concern about a “worrying” resurgence in the virus ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
“We are really seeing an increase in the spread of the virus,” mentioned Sophie Vaux, an epidemiologist at the well being agency.
On Friday the agency announced that the toll figure all through the nation had reached 60,229 individuals because the worldwide pandemic started a year ago.
– ‘Be back soon’ –
On Thursday Macron left the Elysee Palace in Paris for the presidential residence of La Lanterne in Versailles outdoors the city, a presidential official mentioned.
His wife Brigitte, who has tested unfavorable, will stay at the Elysee.
The president mentioned he would “be back soon” and added there was “no reason to believe this will develop badly”, even though adding he was beneath health-related supervision.
Macron’s infection has also come at a essential moment in talks involving Britain and the EU to locate a trade deal immediately after Brexit with the clock ticking down to the finish of the year when London will leave the single industry.
The announcement on Thursday that Macron was infected with the virus upended political schedules in France and across Europe, with EU leaders and French officials he had met in the final days cancelling events and rushing into self-isolation.
It is not clear exactly where Macron contracted the virus even though presidential sources have mentioned he could have picked it up even though attending an EU summit in Brussels late final week exactly where leaders had 20 hours of non-quit negotiation.
Adding to concern more than probable infections at the summit, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic mentioned Friday he had tested positive for Covid-19 immediately after attending the EU Council.
On Monday Macron addressed a conference in Paris organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) attended by European Council president Charles Michel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who are each now isolating.
And on Wednesday he attended a dinner at the Elysee — which was not in his official schedule — with a dozen political allies like Prime Minister Jean Castex, who is now also self-isolating.
– ‘Carelessness or terrible luck’ –
There have been concerns about the dinner as the numbers present exceeded the maximum of six suggested by the government.
Officials have insisted that these present sat at a table significant sufficient to guarantee appropriate social distancing.
Macron’s infection has also underlined the continued perils of Covid-19 in France as the Christmas holidays get underway, with more than 18,000 new infections recorded on Friday alone.
“I have a message for all of you. Continue to take care of yourselves. The virus can hit anyone. I was well protected and very careful,” he mentioned in his message.
“Despite everything, I got the virus. Perhaps it was a moment of carelessness but also maybe bad luck,” he mentioned.
Commentators and politicians have praised the Elysee for swiftly communicating Macron’s test outcome but have also urged transparency more than his situation, with none of the secrecy at times noticed when his predecessors Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac had well being troubles in workplace.
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