PARIS – A week after testing positive for the coronavirus for the first time, French President Emmanuel Macron stopped isolating because he was no longer showing symptoms, shared a statement from the Élysée Palace, its official office, on Thursday With.
During his quarantine, Mr Macron – who had typical symptoms of Covid-19 such as fatigue, cough and pain – was “able to remain mobilized in the most important current affairs of our country and hold meetings and councils as planned” statement read.
Mr Macron contracted the virus at a time when a surge in infections across France was shedding hopes that people could safely celebrate the end of the year celebrations.
French health protocols recommend an isolation period of seven days after symptoms appear or a positive virus test. However, a negative test is not required to leave the isolation after this time has elapsed.
The French president was not the first world leader to contract the virus. But unlike several other prominent leaders who have had it – including President Trump, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the UK – Mr Macron has consistently emphasized the threat posed by the virus.
Although it is still unclear how Mr Macron got infected, last week’s announcement that he had the disease prompted a cascade of leaders who had met with him over the past few days to isolate himself, including the Spanish one Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal; and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
French Health Minister Olivier Véran said Mr Macron may have been infected at the December 10-11 European Council meetings. Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, who attended the same gatherings, also tested positive for the virus.
Mr Macron, who celebrated his 43rd birthday in isolation on December 21, used his quarantine period to reiterate warnings about the risk of contamination.
In Thursday’s statement announcing his improvement, he urged members of the French public to limit their contacts and remain vigilant during the Christmas holidays by “ventilating rooms, wearing a mask and washing their hands regularly”.
Over the past week, daily updates on Mr Macron’s health have been released by Mr Macron himself, by his personal doctor or through official statements from the Élysée Palace – a departure from France’s tradition of secrecy regarding the health of its presidents.
In a self-recorded video of his presidential retreat near Versailles last week, a tired-looking Mr. Macron said he was suffering from a cough, headache and fatigue. His office reported the first signs of improvement on Wednesday after describing his health as “stable” for the past few days.
Mr. Macron held several virtual meetings with his ministers and continued exchanges with foreign leaders such as Russian President Vladimir V. Putin on Tuesday.
In an interview with French magazine L’Express on December 17, the day it tested positive and published on Tuesday, Mr Macron said he wanted to rely on “patriotic and European” French people to undermine an “undermined” one “Land” to reconcile “” divisions “that persist three and a half years after his tenure as President.
With more than 60,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus and around 2.5 million reported coronavirus infections, France has taken a heavy toll on the pandemic. While the number of new infections had dropped below 10,000 per day by the end of November, they have dropped to an average of 14,000 new cases per day over the past seven days, shedding hope that the second wave is over.
On Thursday, the French health authority approved the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which officially opened the way for vaccination after receiving support from the European Union earlier this week.
The vaccination campaign in France begins on Sunday in several retirement homes and care facilities. The French authorities have ordered around 200 million doses and established a three-phase vaccination strategy, starting with the elderly and at-risk nursing home workers.
