French President Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive for COVID-19

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidential Elysee Palace announced on Thursday. The Elysee statement said that the president took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared,” but did not elaborate on his symptoms.

President Macron will self-isolate for seven days. “He will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,” the statement added.

France has recorded more than 2.4 million cases of coronavirus with some 59,000 deaths. The French public could start receiving Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by the end of December if the European Union approves it next week, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday.

France has pre-ordered 200 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, Castex added. President Macron recently said in an interview with French media outlet Brut that he believes compulsory COVID-19 vaccination would be counter-productive.

The country has been on partial lockdown since Oct. 30 with theatres, restaurants, bars and concert halls closed. The reopening of theatres and concert halls had been set for December 15. However, the French government just announced that it could not happen before January 7; sparking uproar within the country’s cultural sector.

French film and exhibitors guilds have appealed the government’s decision to reopen at the end of the month. Restaurants and bars are expected to reopen on Jan. 20 or later.