Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès has tested positive for coronavirus, she said on Saturday.
“The result of my Covid test is positive,” she tweeted. “A contamination probably occurred within my family circle given the precautions taken outside my home.”
Wilmès, who led Belgium’s coronavirus response as head of an interim government until October 1, went into self-isolation Friday after experiencing “suspicious symptoms.” She chose not to physically attend the Friday meeting during which the government agreed to implement stricter measures to curb the spread of coronavirus in response to a dramatic rise in cases over the past few weeks.
The new restrictions, which will go into effect Monday, include the shuttering of bars and restaurants for a month, mandatory teleworking and a curfew between midnight and 5 a.m.
“The multiplication of cases unfortunately reminds us that no one is immune,” Wilmès added in a tweet Saturday. “Take care of yourself and above all take care of others.”
Austria’s foreign minister, Alexander Schallenberg, is also quarantining at home following a positive coronavirus test.He is showing “no symptoms so far,” according to his spokesperson, who told Austrian media Schallenberg may have been infected at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, which Wilmès also attended.