French Prime Minister Jean Castex tested positive for Covid-19

Published on : 11/22/2021 – 10:28 PM

The head of the French government infected with Covid-19. Prime Minister Jean Castex tested positive on Monday evening, November 22, his office in Matignon told AFP. The latter added that “his agenda will be adjusted in the coming days so that he continues his activities while being in isolation” for ten days, which began to do the same day, leading by videoconference a meeting around the elected officials. from Guadeloupe.

The head of government had learned Monday afternoon, back from Belgium where he met his counterpart Alexander De Croo, that one of his daughters, aged 11, had tested positive. “He therefore immediately performed a PCR test, which turned out to be positive,” said Matignon.

Jean Castex was initially to receive in Matignon, Monday at 18h (17h GMT), some of the elected officials of Guadeloupe in order to allow them “to present their analysis of the situation on the spot”, surrounded by the Ministers of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, overseas departments, Sébastien Lecornu, and health, Olivier Véran.

The West Indian department, hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic this summer, has been shaken for a week by a movement originating from the challenge of the vaccination obligation of caregivers, which degenerated into a social crisis punctuated by numerous violence during the night from Thursday to Friday, when violence and looting began.

The head of government, who received two doses of the vaccine, had so far never tested positive.

The Prime Minister had, however, already been in contact with Covid-19 on three occasions: in September 2020 during the Tour de France after sharing the car of the competition director, Christian Prudhomme, a second time following a dinner with Emmanuel Macron in December, then in June, after Jean Castex’s wife contracted the disease.

Before him, President Emmanuel Macron had tested positive in December 2020. Several ministers have also contracted the virus, such as the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire, of Culture Roselyne Bachelot. That of Foreign Trade Franck Riester had tested positive in March 2020, as well as the Secretaries of State for the Ecological Transition at the time, Brune Poirson and Emmanuelle Wargon.

With AFP