Prime Minister Jean Castex tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday evening and “his agenda will be adjusted over the next few days so that he can continue his activities while being in solitary confinement” for ten days, told AFP. AFP Matignon. The head of government had learned Monday afternoon, back from Belgium where he met his counterpart Alexander De Croo, that one of his 11-year-old daughters had tested positive. “He therefore immediately carried out a PCR test, which turned out to be positive”, explained Matignon. The Prime Minister was also accompanied by the Ministers of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, of the Secretary of State for Europe, Clément Beaune.
The Director General of Internal Security, Nicolas Lerner, that of External Security, Bernard Emie, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor, Jean-François Ricard, and the National Coordinator of Intelligence and the Fight against Terrorism, Laurent Nunez, were also part of of the delegation during this trip.
Contact cases three times
The 56-year-old head of government, who received two doses of the vaccine in the spring, had never tested positive before. The Prime Minister had however been in contact with Covid-19 on three occasions: in September 2020 during the Tour de France after sharing the car of competition director Christian Prudhomme, a second time following a dinner with Emmanuel Macron in December, then in June, after the wife of Jean Castex had contracted the disease.
Before him, President Emmanuel Macron had tested positive in December 2020. Several ministers also contracted the virus, such as the Minister of 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 Ecological Transition at the time, Brune Poirson and Emmanuelle Wargon.