French President Macron blames his Covid-19 on negligence, bad luck

Paris, France - Macron posted a video of himself on his Twitter handle.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday blamed his Covid-19 on a combination of negligence and bad luck, urging his compatriots to stay safe as critics called out slip-ups in his behaviour to prevent infection, from a close-quarters handshake to repeated big-group meals over the past week.

In what looked like a self-shot video from the presidential retreat in Versailles where he was isolating, Macron said he was experiencing symptoms that included headaches, fatigue and a dry cough. He promised to give daily updates and be “totally transparent” about the evolution of his illness.

“I am doing well,” the 42-year-old French leader said, speaking softly with a bottle of gel on the desk behind him and dressed casually in a turtleneck top. “Normally, there is no reason for it to evolve in a bad way.”

Macron said his infection “shows that the virus really can touch everyone, because I am very protected and am very careful.”

“Despite everything I caught this virus — perhaps, doubtless, a moment of negligence, a moment of bad luck, too,” he said.

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A fellow European leader who spent time with Macron at an EU summit last week, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic, tested positive for the virus Friday. Ten other leaders at the EU summit have since tested negative; others either aren’t getting tested or haven’t released results.

In France, Macron faced criticism for actions that were seen as setting a bad example as the country sees a new uptick in cases and doctors warn families to take precautions this holiday season — especially at the dinner table.

Macron usually wears a mask and adheres to social-distancing rules, and has insisted that his virus strategy is driven by science. But he has been captured on camera in recent days violating France’s virus-control guidelines.

He shook hands and half-embraced the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Angel Gurria, at a meeting Monday. Both were masked, but Macron’s office acknowledged Friday the move was a “mistake.”

In his video message on Friday, the president suggested that his behaviour had helped limit the spread of the virus.

“Had I not respected the rules, the barrier measures, I would have caught it much faster and, most of all, I would have transmitted it in the preceding hours to many more people,” Macron said.

He urged people to “hold firm” and look after each other during the festive season, warning: “The virus is picking up, even stronger.”