“Phew, fortunately my minister was at the other end of the table in the Council of Ministers!
", Spontaneously loose the employee of a heavyweight government, learning, this Thursday, December 17, in the morning that Emmanuel Macron had tested positive for Covid-19.
At the highest point of the State, if panic did not win the ranks, a certain concern nevertheless reigned among those who approached the President of the Republic in recent days.
Starting with those who were present Wednesday evening at the famous dinner which was held in the village hall of the presidential palace in the presence of several tenors of the majority, including Prime Minister Jean Castex, the president of the Modem François Bayrou, the president from the LREM group to the Assembly Christophe Castaner, the MEP Stéphane Séjourné, the president of the MoDem group to the National Assembly Patrick Mignola, or the deputy Thierry Solère.
VIDEO. Macron positive for Covid-19: "He was in his normal state" Wednesday evening, assures Castaner
“Oh p… but what a pain!
", One of them gets carried away by discovering the news, and obviously not very enthusiastic:" I will have to be tested, put myself in isolation, reorganize my days and my appointments.
No, really, we didn't need that right now, ”he sighs.
"We must not be too close to the macronie!"
François Bayrou, he welcomed this announcement with more calm: "We must remain calm, I will obviously organize myself to be tested in the coming days" confides the centrist who will isolate himself, just like Jean Castex, the President of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand or the General Delegate of LREM Stanislas Guerini.
“Guerini, he isolated himself.
But he already is, this sucker!
», Laughs a right figure.
President of the Agir ensemble group in the Assembly, the deputy Olivier Becht saw Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday at the Elysee Palace, during a lunch in the presence of all the group presidents.
A large table had been installed in the village hall, several meters apart between each participant respected to be able to enjoy a stew.
“The room is large, the measures were respected, there was no lack of caution.
But with aerosols, there is always a risk.
Especially since the room was not ventilated ”, explains the one who was all the same put in isolation and who will be tested Monday morning.
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“Like what, we must not be too close to the macronie!
“Prefers Damien Abad jokingly.
While he hesitated Thursday morning on the steps to be taken, the president of the LR group in the Assembly was contacted by the Elysee who warned him that he was not considered as a contact case.
As a precaution, he preferred to isolate himself and cancel a meeting in the afternoon with the CGT in Ambérieu-en-Bugey and a trip to the Bourg-en-Bresse market on Friday in Ain.
He will be tested Friday before, no doubt, to be tested again the next day in Oyonnax, where he lives, to set an example, as part of the massive screening desired by Laurent Wauquiez in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
"We were really very far from each other"
A caution that does not follow Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who also participated in the lunch.
"I believe that I will avoid returning to the national palaces: it is dangerous", he quipped at the microphone of BFMTV, while specifying that he was at the end of the table, more than ten meters from the President.
“We are not talking about a meal in a bistro where you are side by side
(...)
.
The table was at least 20 m, there are ceilings that are 4 or 5 m from the floor.
So it's not really a confined atmosphere, noted the leader of rebellious France.
I was in the place of the poor at the end of the table ”.
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"We followed with our microphones, we could hear quite well, but we were really far from each other," he continued on BFM TV.
“I was placed more than 10 m from the president on Tuesday, no close exchange, barrier gestures strictly respected.
So I am continuing my program, ”he also explained on Twitter this Thursday morning before publishing a PCR test with the negative result carried out on Wednesday, the day after lunch.
Result of my PCR test carried out yesterday: negative.
pic.twitter.com/r67W6OWHyV
- Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) December 17, 2020
For his part, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, president of the UDI group, told AFP that he had been "far" from Emmanuel Macron "except for a minute" but while everyone was wearing a mask.
And to slip, casually: “My anti-Covid app does not notify me of a risky contact.
Assuming he downloaded and activated it… ”