Boris Johnson Wishes Macron Speedy Recovery From CCP Virus

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron (L) on Horse Guards Parade in London, on June 18, 2020, to watch a flypast during a visit to mark the anniversary of former French president Charles de Gaulle's appeal to French people to resist the Nazi occupation during World War II. (Jack Hill/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent his best wishes to Emmanuel Macron after the French president tested positive for the CCP virus.

“Sorry to hear my friend @EmmanuelMacron has tested positive for coronavirus. We are all wishing you a speedy recovery,” he wrote on Twitter in both English and French.

The French Presidency said earlier on Thursday that Macron had tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today,” his office said in a statement. “This diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms.”

Macron will self-isolate for the next seven days and has been forced to cancel all his trips, including a visit to Lebanon previously scheduled on Dec. 22.

Prime Minister Jean Castex will also self-isolate after coming into contact with Macron over the last few days.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent best wishes to Macron.

“I wish you a quick recovery. I am wholeheartedly with you,” she wrote on Twitter. “We are going to defeat this pandemic together. We will continue to work hand in hand to immunize and protect our citizens.”

Johnson himself tested positive for the CCP virus on March 27. He self-isolated but continued to run the government until he was admitted to hospital after his condition deteriorated.

He was taken to an intensive care unit (ICU) on April 6, where he remained until April 9. During his hospital stay, he had to ask Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who was the First Secretary of State, to deputize for him where necessary.

Johnson was discharged from hospital on April 12. In his first statement after leaving intensive care, he said he owed his life to hospital staff.

He was forced to self-isolate again in November after coming into contact with a Tory MP who had tested positive for COVID-19.

He later tested negative but stayed in self-isolation for 14 days following the government’s quarantine rules.

Reuters, Mary Clark, Zachary Stieber, and Jack Philips contributed to this report.