Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of Italy’s Democratic Party, said Saturday he had tested positive for coronavirus but was “feeling fine.”
Zingaretti, who is 54, said in a Facebook video he had isolated himself at home and would continue to exercise his functions as secretary-general “as much as possible.”
“I always said: No panic, let’s fight [the virus],” he said, adding that he wanted to set a good example by following medical advice and working from home.
Italy is the EU country most affected by the spread of the coronavirus so far, with just under 4,000 reported cases and almost 200 deaths, according to the latest figures reported by the country’s civil protection agency. Some 523 people have fully recovered from the illness.
The Italian government announced earlier this week it would spend an additional €7.5 billion to combat the economic damage caused by the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to Rome published Saturday, the European Commission said Italy’s spending plans would not be taken into account in assessing the country’s compliance with EU budget rules.