By Gabriel Atumeyi
France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office disclosed on Thursday.
The 42-year-old took a test after developing symptoms and will now self-isolate for seven days, the Elysée Palace said in a statement.
BBC reports that sources also disclosed that Mr Macron “is still in charge” of running the country and will continue to work remotely.
France this week imposed an overnight curfew to help deal with soaring cases there.
There have been two million confirmed cases in the country since the epidemic began, with more than 59,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 today,” the Elysée said on Thursday morning, adding that the diagnosis was made following a “test performed at the onset of the first symptoms”.
It is not yet known how Mr Macron caught the virus but his office said it was identifying any close contacts he has made in recent days.
Prime Minister Jean Castex, 55, is also self-isolating as he is considered a possible “contact case”, officials said.
He was due to introduce the government’s COVID vaccination policy in the Senate on Thursday, but Health Minister Olivier Véran will do it instead.
Mr Castex is not showing any symptoms, his office said.
The presidential statement did not mention whether Mr Macron’s wife Brigitte, who is 67, had also tested positive.
Mr Macron is one of several world leaders who have contracted the respiratory disease. Most notably, US President, Donald Trump, tested positive in October, which led to him spending three days in hospital.
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, also caught the virus and ended up in intensive care during the country’s first wave in March.
Earlier this week, France eased national lockdown restrictions imposed to tackle its second wave of the pandemic. However, infection rates still remain high and a daily 20:00-06:00 curfew was imposed. The new measures have forced restaurants, cafes, theatres and cinemas to close.
On Wednesday, France registered more than 17,700 new cases.
President Macron has not tested positive for the virus before.
A presidential spokeswoman confirmed that all of Mr Macron’s upcoming trips, including a visit to Lebanon on 22 December, have been cancelled.