French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection and the shocking development has come at a high time when France and entire Europe have imposed a complete lockdown owing to the second wave of the global pandemic. 

Macron's office, Elysee Palace, has on Thursday issued a statement in which it had said that the 42-year-old President had taken a test after developing symptoms and he will now isolate for seven days. The palace said, "The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today and this diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms". 

While it is not yet known how the French President contracted the virus, his office said that it has been in the process of identifying those he had been in close contact to inform them of the situation. His office said that Macron is still in charge of discharging his duties and he will work remotely and all other meetings to be held via video-conference. 

Speaking to Reuters, a French presidency spokeswoman said that the President will cancel all his forthcoming trips, including a scheduled visit to Lebanon, after being diagnosed with COVID-19.  The officials said that the President has been trying to access how he had contracted the viral infection and he could have possibly contracted the pandemic when he was attending the meeting of the European Council Heads of State on 10th and 11th December. 

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has also confirmed that Macron had spelled positive for the viral infection. According to reports, the Prime Minister will be self-isolating himself after coming into direct contact with the French President over the last few days. Though the Prime Minister was asymptomatic, he decided to go to quarantine. 

France has reported 17,615 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is the biggest spike of cases reported in the country since November 21st. So far as of Wednesday, the European country has reported 2,409,062 cases and the country had recorded 59,361 deaths. It must be noted that France had this week imposed an overnight curfew to battle the second wave of the pandemic and curb the spread of the viral infection.

The French President is one of the several heads of states to get contracted the novel coronavirus. Earlier, key world leaders including US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had tested positive for the viral infection.