Paris: France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his COVID-19 on negligence and bad luck, while asking people to stay safe.
In a video from the presidential residence at La Lanterne in Versailles, where he is under self-quarantine, Macron on Friday vowed to give frequent updates on his illness and be ‘totally transparent’.
“I am doing well,” he said. “Normally, there is no reason for it to evolve in a bad way.”
The 42-year-old French leader said his infection “shows the virus can touch everyone, because I am very protected and am very careful.”
“Despite everything, I caught this virus—perhaps, doubtless, a moment of negligence, a moment of bad luck, too,” he said.
Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, who spent time with Macron at an EU summit last week, tested positive for covid on Friday.
Some EU leaders present at the summit reported testing negative, while others were not getting tested and yet others haven’t yet announced results of the tests.
While Macron is often seen wearing a mask and adhering to strict social distancing rules, the president has been caught on camera in recent days violating the country’s virus-control regulations.
Macron shook hands and embraced Angel Gurria, head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at a meeting on Monday. Though both wore masks, Macron’s office acknowledged on Friday the move was a “mistake”.
Last week, Macron had spent two days in dialogue at the EU summit in Brussels with leaders of member countries.
Video excerpts from the events showed the leaders had spread out in a circle in a huge meeting room, with Macron and most leaders unmasked.
Macron had also hosted and taken part in multiple meals in the days before being tested positive on Thursday, while the French have been advised to skirt gathering in large numbers.
Macron’s office said it has contacted those present at the meals, and told those sitting far from the president that they were not at risk.
Macron’s positive test comes as health authorities are seeing a surge in covid infections as French families prepare to get together ahead of Christmas and New Year. France reported 18,254 more new infections on Thursday and its death toll is around 60,000.
France had reported Europe’s first virus case in January.