French Prime Minister Jean Castex tested positive on the evening of Monday, November 22 for Covid-19, prompting the quarantine of his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo with four ministers. All gathered in Brussels in the morning for a meeting on the subject of security.
The five Belgian officials will undergo a PCR test and will remain in quarantine until the test result is negative, the cabinet of the Belgian head of government said. They are ministers Sophie Wilmès (foreign affairs), Ludivine Dedonder (defense), Annelies Verlinden (interior) and Vincent Van Quickenborne (justice).
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Jean Castex was 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 Émié, 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 the delegation during this trip.
Jean Castex suffers from “slight symptoms”
Jean Castex’s agenda “Will be adapted in the coming days so that he can continue his activities while being in solitary confinement” for ten days, said Matignon. The Prime Minister suffered Monday night from “Mild symptoms”, according to his entourage, in particular a “Slight cough”.
He had learned on Monday afternoon that one of his 11-year-old daughters had tested positive. “He therefore immediately performed a PCR test, which turned out to be positive”, explained Matignon, who also assured that Jean Castex had not seen Emmanuel Macron since the Council of Ministers on Wednesday morning.
The head of the French government, 56, had been vaccinated in the spring, his second injection of AstraZeneca dating from June 19, and was eligible for a booster dose on December 19. He had never tested positive until then.
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