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Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa must remain in self-isolation beyond Christmas after having lunch earlier this week with French President Emmanuel Macron, under a decision by local health authorities reported Saturday.
“Following the exposure to the case of COVID-19, which took place on December 16 … and after a risk assessment carried out by the health authority, [the lunch] was considered contact with high exposure risk,” the Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Tagus Valley said in a statement reported by local media.
Costa had already gone into self-isolation and tested negative on Thursday. The fresh statement said he would have to remain under “active surveillance for 14 days, from the date of the last exposure.”
Macron was diagnosed with coronavirus Thursday, setting off a chain reaction of contact-tracing, testing and self-isolation among political leaders across Europe. On Wednesday, he hosted Costa for a working lunch ahead of the start of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU in January.
The French president’s health is “stable” compared to Friday and the results of medical exams carried out regularly are “reassuring,” the Elysée Palace said in a statement Saturday.
“He still shows the same symptoms of the COVID-19 disease (tiredness, coughing, aching) that in no way prevent him from carrying out his duties,” the statement read.
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