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Macron runs France from presidential retreat after catching Covid

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Macron runs France from presidential retreat after catching Covid
French President Emmanuel Macron, tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is seen on a screen as he attends by video conference a round table for the National Humanitarian Conference.

French President Emmanuel Macron was Friday working in self-isolation from an official residence outside Paris after he tested positive for Covid-19.

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The announcement 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 last days cancelling events and rushing into self-isolation.

Macron late Thursday left the Elysee Palace in Paris for the presidential residence of La Lanterne in Versailles outside the city, a presidential official said.

"He will be able to both self-isolate and continue to work," said the official, who asked not to be named. His wife Brigitte, who has tested negative, will remain at the Elysee.

There was no new official update on his health Friday but French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said late Thursday Macron was suffering from a cough and "considerable fatigue".

READ MORE: Who has had to self-isolate after Macron's Covid-19 diagnosis?

Masked and dressed in a black polo-neck, Macron had nonetheless taken part by video conference Thursday in a meeting on economic development.

It is not clear where Macron contracted the virus although presidential sources have said he may have picked it up while attending an EU summit in Brussels late last week where leaders had 20 hours of non-stop negotiation. 

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French President Emmanuel Macron, tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is seen on a screen as he attends by video conference a round table for the National Humanitarian Conference. AFP

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 were both now isolating.

And on Wednesday he attended a dinner at the Elysee -- which was not in his official schedule -- with a dozen political allies including Prime Minister Jean Castex, who is now also self-isolating.

There have been questions about the dinner as the numbers present exceeded the maximum of six recommended by the government to sit at one table.

Officials have insisted that those present sat at a table large enough to ensure proper social distancing.

Commentators and politicians have praised the Elysee for rapidly communicating Macron's test result in a written statement Thursday morning.

But they have urged full transparency over his condition with none of the secrecy sometimes seen when his predecessors Francois Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac had health problems in office.

Macron's infection has also underlined the continued perils of Covid-19 in France as the Christmas holidays get underway, with over 18,000 new infections recorded on Thursday alone.

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