EU top official self-isolating after contact with virus case

October 05, 2020

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says she has placed herself in isolation after being in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus. In a message posted on Twitter Monday, the head of the EU's executive arm said she took part in a meeting last Tuesday that was attended by “a person who yesterday tested positive.” Von der Leyen was on a two-day trip to Portugal last Monday and Tuesday.

She said she tested negative for the virus on Thursday and that she will undergo another test later Monday. Von der Leyen, who attended a two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels late last week, said she will be in quarantine until Tuesday morning. Her isolation will keep her close to work, however: She has a small living quarters next to her office in the EU headquarters in Brussels.

Two weeks ago, EU Council President Charles Michel was forced to postpone a summit of EU leaders because he was quarantining. Von der Leyen took part last Tuesday in a special meeting of Portugal's state council in the coastal town of Cascais, on the outskirts of Lisbon. State councilor António Lobo Xavier tested positive for the virus on Sunday.

The meeting was attended physically by 15 of the 19 members of the president’s advisory body. Portugal's president, prime minister and the parliamentary president and five state councilors were tested on Sunday and were negative, media reported. More tests are taking place on Monday.