Taoiseach tests negative after Macron diagnosed with Covid
TAOISEACH Micheal Martin has tested negative for Covid-19 following contact with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has contracted the virus.
Mr Martin underwent a rapid PCR test yesterday as a precaution, having met with the French president at the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and Friday last week.
His spokesperson confirmed the Taoiseach has been given the all clear, saying: “He tested negative.”
The Taoiseach was initially tested on his return from Brussels and then underwent a second, rapid test following confirmation of Mr Macron’s diagnosis.
Mr Martin also attended a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after arriving back from the European Council meeting.
His spokesman said t hey would wait for the results of yesterday’s test before deciding if other Government ministers would be tested.
The spokesman said the Taoiseach was restricting his movements yesterday, pending the results of his Covid-19 test.
Irish Finance Minster Paschal Donohoe was also in Brussels last week.
His spokesman said he was tested before leaving Ireland and again on his return and “has restricted his movements in accordance with the healthcare advice given”.
A press conference due to be attended by Mr Donohoe yesterday afternoon was delayed pending the outcome of the Taoiseach’s test results.
Mr Donohoe did not attend this week’s Cabinet meeting but participated remotely.
France’s presidential Elysee Palace confirmed on Thursday that Mr Macron had contracted Covid-19.
The French and Spanish prime ministers are among those self-isolating because they had recent contact with him.
Mr Macron took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared” and will self-isolate for seven days, the presidency said in a brief statement.
It did not detail what symptoms Mr Macron experienced or any treatment he might be receiving. The 42-year-old president “will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance”, the statement added.
His wife, Brigitte (67) will also self-isolate but has no symptoms and tested negative on Tuesday ahead of a visit to a Paris hospital. Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said contact tracing efforts are in progress.
He said Mr Macron started to feel symptoms overnight and he will keep working from the Elysee presidential palace.
“The virus has been circulating in France and worldwide for several months and the presidency and government are used to working in these circumstances,” Mr Attal said.
Mr Macron has joined a growing list of world leaders who have tested positive for the virus, including US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who wished him well on Twitter.
France has a tradition of keeping strict medical privacy, including for top officials, and Mr Macron once said he would release health information only when justified by the impact it could have on his presidency.
He has rarely been seen in public without a mask in recent months.