Are Brussels and its brand-new Europa building behind Emmanuel Macron's positive test?
It is “possibly” during the European Council which was held on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December that the Head of State caught the Covid-19, indicated the Minister of Health Olivier Véran on France 5 Thursday evening.
According to our information, it was Emmanuel Macron's doctor who transmitted this information, based on the chronology.
Emmanuel Macron has indeed felt the first symptoms, such as fever and body aches, on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.
He was immediately tested and the positive result was announced at 10:28 a.m. Thursday morning.
However, the incubation period which separates contamination from the onset of disorders is five or six days on average.
"The first symptoms appear within five to seven days", recalled the President of the Scientific Council, Jean-François Delfraissy, this Friday morning on RMC and BFMTV.
24 hours almost non-stop in the great hall
Five to seven days before Thursday, that fits perfectly with the European Council.
Even if it is still impossible to definitively establish that the contamination took place on this occasion.
During this summit meeting, the heads of government or state (or their representatives) of the 27 members of the European Union gathered.
Other personalities, such as the President of the European Council Charles Michel, were also present.
As always, the menu was loaded: Turkey, recovery plan, Brexit… From Thursday noon to Friday morning, most of the discussions took place in the main room of the Europa building.
The main meeting room of the European Council, Thursday 10 December.
AFP / Olivier Hoslet
Emmanuel Macron arrived there for lunch Thursday at the very beginning of the afternoon, after having exchanged at the end of the morning with the parliamentary group Renew Europe.
For health reasons, the various meals were taken in this large room.
"He stayed there for intense discussions until the next day with only two short breaks during which he returned to the office of the French delegation", indicates a diplomatic source, specifying that the head of state had " not slept at all ”that night.
This Europa building of the European Council, where Heads of State and Government have met since January 2017, contains 350 offices in total.
"These are cramped rooms where we can have, in normal times, three heads of state accompanied by several advisers, for example", slips political scientist Patrick Martin-Genier, specialist in European issues.
If more precautions are currently taken due to the pandemic, the heads of state and their teams necessarily use the same corridors and elevators in the Brussels building as well as the toilets.
Asides and informal exchanges
In addition, “there are often asides, small gatherings that form without respecting the distance, a person who does not necessarily wear the mask well, etc.
», Adds Patrick Martin-Genier.
He said he was "not at all surprised" by this hypothesis of contamination during the European Council, especially since Emmanuel Macron is renowned for his tactile side in his exchanges with his counterparts.
Emmanuel Macron talks with several counterparts during the European Council on December 10.
REUTERS / Olivier Matthys
The photos taken during these 24 hours of negotiations bear witness to many informal moments between heads of state.
Without always respecting distancing, but more often by wearing a mask.
Other images, however, show a certain relaxation on this point.
As during the minute of silence linked to the death of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, at the opening of the European Council on Thursday.
🇫🇷🇪🇺 Tribute to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The Heads of State and Government observed a minute of silence in tribute to the former President of the Republic.
#EUCO #ValeryGiscarddEstaing pic.twitter.com/1KySoQQw6x
- France in the EU (@RPFranceUE) December 10, 2020
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20 of the 25 personalities who appear on a video broadcast by the European authorities had no face protection during this tribute, but they were at least distant of at least and meters and a half.
"They wear a mask but it can happen that they remove it at certain times, especially when they are speaking or when they are having dinner", indicates a witness.
Five personalities decided to isolate themselves and one tested positive
Five of them have also decided to isolate themselves immediately after the announcement of the positive test of Emmanuel Macron, now installed at the residence of La Lanterne.
This is the case of Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who ended his quarantine on Friday after having tested negative.
Following our participation in the European Council, I decided as a precaution to place myself in self-quarantine until I received my test result to protect the people around me.
I have no symptoms & continue to fully perform my tasks & functions.
- Xavier Bettel (@Xavier_Bettel) December 17, 2020
However, it is very unlikely that Emmanuel Macron was already contagious last week, since he only felt symptoms from Thursday morning.
"It is not illogical that they isolate themselves because there is possibly another source of contamination, but it is not Emmanuel Macron", underlines the infectious disease specialist Benjamin Davido.
"There is no instruction from us since they are not in contact, but they may fear having touched the same doorknob or having been in contact with the same infected person as Emmanuel Macron ”, we judge on the French side.
Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic tested positive on Friday, Reuters reported.
Without knowing if this is linked to his presence in Brussels last week.
"All health measures have been respected and we have not been informed that other leaders participating in the meeting have tested positive since," assured us this morning a source in the European Council.
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Charles Michel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Portugal's Antonio Costa have all the same decided to isolate themselves as well.
But all three have the particularity of having, in addition, lunched with Emmanuel Macron on Monday or Wednesday.
And therefore, perhaps, to have been contaminated on this occasion.