Macron warns the French they can catch COVID too

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his COVID- 19 on a combination of negligence and bad luck, urging his compatriots to stay safe, as critics called out slip- ups in his behavior to prevent infection, from a close- quarters handshake to repeated big- group meals over the last week.

In what looked like a selfshot video from the presidential retreat in Versailles where he was isolating, Macron said he was experiencing symptoms that included headaches, fatigue and a dry cough. He promised to give daily updates and be “totally transparent” about the evolution of his illness.

“I am doing well,” the 42year- old French leader said, speaking softly. “Normally, there is no reason for it to evolve in a bad way.”

Macron said his infection “shows that the virus really 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 a European Union summit last week, tested positive for the virus Friday. Ten other leaders who attended the EU summit have since tested negative; others either aren’t getting tested or haven’t released results.

President Trump, who tested positive for the coronavirus and spent three days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in early October, spoke with Macron on Thursday and wished him a speedy recovery, the White House said Friday. Several White House aides and members of Trump’s campaign staff tested positive after he did.

In France, Macron’s diagnosis brought criticism that he had set a bad example as the country sees a new uptick in cases and doctors warn families to take precautions this holiday season — especially at meals.

Macron usually wears a mask and adheres to social distancing rules, and has said his virus strategy is driven by science. But he has been captured on camera in recent days violating France’s virus- control guidelines.

He shook hands with and half- embraced the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Angel Gurria, at a meeting Monday. Both were masked, but Macron’s office acknowledged Friday the move was a “mistake.”

In his video message Friday, Macron suggested his behavior had helped limit the spread of the virus.

“Had I not respected the rules, the barrier measures, I would have caught it much faster and, most of all, I would have transmitted it in the preceding hours to many more people,” Macron said.

He urged people to “hold f irm” and look after one another during the festive season, warning: “The virus is picking up, even stronger.”

Last week, Macron spent two days in intense negotiations at the EU summit in Brussels with the leaders of the other 26 EU countries. Video excerpts released by the EU showed the leaders spread out in a circle in a huge meeting room. Macron, like most of the other leaders, was not masked.

Macron also hosted or took part in multiple largegroup meals in the days before testing positive Thursday, including with members of his centrist party and rival politicians.

People in France are currently advised to avoid gathering in groups of more than six. Macron’s office has been contacting those present for the meals, but told some people who sat far from him that they are not considered at risk.

Macron’s office isn’t providing details of his treatment. He is staying at the presidential residence of La Lanterne in the former royal city of Versailles, tucked in a grove tightly guarded by police.

Macron’s positive test comes as French health authorities are again seeing a rise in infections and are warning of more as French families prepare to get together for Christmas and New Year’s festivities. France reported 18,254 new infections Thursday and a death toll just under 60,000.

France’s Pasteur Institute released a study Friday suggesting that mealtimes at home and in public are a major source of contamination.

Pasteur epidemiologist Arnaud Fontanet said on France- Inter radio that, during the holidays, “we can see each other, simply not be too numerous, and at critical moments at meals, not too many people at the same table.”

Macron took a test “as soon as the f irst symptoms appeared” on Thursday morning and will self- isolate for seven days, in line with national health authorities’ recommendations, the president’s office said. He plans to continue working, and gave a planned speech by videoconference Thursday.

The French health minister said Macron might have been infected at the EU summit in Brussels last week, but Macron had multiple meetings in Paris as well.

France had Europe’s first coronavirus case in January, but Macron’s government came under criticism for not having enough masks or tests and not confining the population quickly enough. A strict two- month lockdown brought infections down, and France sent children back to school and their parents back to work.

But infections surged again this fall, leading Macron to declare a new, softer lockdown in October aimed at relieving pressure on hospitals. The measures were relaxed slightly this week, though restaurants, tourist sites, gyms and some other facilities remain closed.

This ‘ shows that the virus really can touch everyone, because I am very protected and am very careful.’ — French President Emmanuel Macron, nursing a case of COVID- 19 at his retreat in Versailles