Kerry contracts COVID as climate talks stall

U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry has tested positive for COVID-19 at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt, a spokeswoman said Friday, the latest setback for what appeared to be stalled negotiations that were already going into overtime.

“He is fully vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms. He is working with his negotiations team and foreign counterparts by phone to ensure a successful outcome of COP27,” spokeswoman Whitney Smith wrote in a statement late Friday.

Mr. Kerry’s illness was sure to add to worries about the speed of negotiations, which were scheduled to end Friday but are continuing with no clear end in sight.

Negotiations, at least those in public, hit a lull Friday afternoon into the evening, as news conferences and plenaries were postponed or canceled. Diplomats said they hoped for late night progress as they changed airline reservations for talks going into extended overtime in Egypt.