French Prime Minister Jean Castex gives a connection aft a Belgian-French information consultation gathering astatine Egmont Palace successful Brussels, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. The premier curate of France, who tested affirmative for COVID Monday, is being singled retired connected societal media and beyond arsenic the premier illustration of what not to bash successful the pandemic. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, File) (Olivier Matthys, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

PARIS – After investigating affirmative for COVID-19, France's premier curate is being singled retired connected societal media and beyond arsenic an illustration of what not to bash successful the pandemic.

Multiple videos are circulating of a maskless Prime Minister Jean Castex vigorously shaking hands with elected officials successful an enclosed abstraction astatine a Paris mayoral legislature connected Nov. 16. Many radical are pointing retired that goes against France's authoritative stance that everyone should support taking preventative measures, particularly arsenic infections surge.

They besides noted that Castex, who tested affirmative Monday, had called the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe “irresponsible” successful the enforcement of COVID-19 measures erstwhile helium did not abide by the rules himself.

The premier minister's bureau said the contented was being exploited for governmental ends and that helium “tries to respect the rules arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.”

Castex’s bureau says the 56-year-old premier curate tested affirmative aft his 11-year-old girl contracted the virus, and helium is self-isolating for 10 days. Castex was vaccinated successful the spring, but his girl is not vaccinated due to the fact that vaccines are not approved successful the EU for those nether 12. Authorization is expected this week.

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Gabriel Attal, the French government’s spokesman, had leaped to Castex’s defence erstwhile the videos archetypal began circulating. “We are each lone human,” helium said.

But Castex's affirmative trial — conscionable hours aft a travel to Brussels and a gathering with Belgian ministers — is simply a imaginable embarrassment for the French authorities and for President Emmanuel Macron up of April’s statesmanlike election.

Castex developed a mild cough overnight, but plans to proceed moving successful isolation, an authoritative successful his bureau said Tuesday. Asked astir the Nov. 16 event, the authoritative said Castex washed his hands with sanitizer betwixt each handshake.

The authoritative besides noted that a wellness walk was required to get into the event, which proves radical are afloat vaccinated, oregon person a caller antagonistic trial oregon person precocious recovered from the virus.

Experts accidental Castex's behaviour is indicative of a wider driblet successful vigilance present that astir of France's colonisation has received vaccine shots. Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne warned against complacency this month, acknowledging that “maybe we person lapsed a bit, obstruction measures are being little respected.”

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Infections and virus-related hospitalizations and deaths are connected the emergence successful France successful caller weeks, and the authorities is stepping up enforcement of the wellness walk and encouraging radical to get booster shots.

As a effect of Castex's affirmative test, respective different French ministers are self-isolating awaiting trial results, including Europe Minister Clement Beaune, who deleted a photograph connected Instagram of him laughing with Castex without wearing a mask.

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