Coronavirus: how France’s Emmanuel Macron let social distancing slip
- French president, who has tested positive for Covid-19, showed signs of letting down his guard after nearly a year into the pandemic
- Macron’s office admits ‘unfortunate’ mistake after he was seen shaking hands with and embracing OECD chief Angel Gurria three days before news of his diagnosis
Once an early adopter of the coronavirus-proof “namaste” greeting, French President Emmanuel Macron was showing signs of letting his guard down almost a year into the pandemic.
On Monday, three days before his office said he had tested positive for Covid-19, Macron greeted OECD chief Angel Gurria with a warm hand clasp in the Elysee palace courtyard, pulling the 70-year-old into a loose embrace, a Reuters picture shows.
They were wearing masks, but Macron broke his government’s No 1 pandemic rule: stick to what the French call “barrier gestures” and avoid handshakes, hugs and kisses.
“You know them, they save lives: barrier gestures are not an option!” Macron said in a tweet on July 12.
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Coronavirus: French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive for Covid-19
His office recognised Macron had made an “unfortunate” mistake in shaking Gurria’s hand. “It’s a mistake, he had this gesture, there is no denying it,” an official told Reuters, adding that the president was nonetheless constantly washing his hands and asking guests to do the same.
Macron was always very tactile before the pandemic, sharing hugs with leaders like US President Donald Trump and kissing and patting members of the public on the back.