Belgium's Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes (L) speaks with Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers at the European Council building in Luxembourg, October 12, 2020. /AP
The foreign ministers of Austria and Belgium have both tested positive for coronavirus after attending a meeting with European Union colleagues this week. Other foreign ministers attending this meeting have reported negative results for their COVID-19 tests.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Belgium's Sophie Wilmes sat next to each other during a group breakfast at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in Luxembourg, Austria's Foreign Ministry said.
"It is suspected that Schallenberg might have been infected at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday," a spokeswoman for his ministry said in a statement, adding that he did not have symptoms and had been tested as a routine measure.
Wilmes said on Saturday she had tested positive, a day after going into self-isolation with suspected symptoms of COVID-19.
"Contamination probably occurred within my family circle, given the precautions taken outside my home," she tweeted.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg speaks during a joint press conference at the Farnesina Foreign Ministry headquarters in Rome, Italy, July 3, 2020. /AP
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday and had no close contact with Schallenberg, the German ministry said, while Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde will work from home until she receives a negative test result, her department said.
Various other foreign ministers, including France's Jean-Yves Le Drian and Arancha Gonzalez Laya of Spain, have tested negative in recent days. Greece's Nikos Dendias "is very frequently tested for COVID-19, given his travels, and he is fine," a Greek government source said.
Schallenberg's only bilateral meeting in Luxembourg was with his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney but social distancing measures were implemented and Ireland has been informed of his positive test, the Austrian spokeswoman said.
Schallenberg also attended a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where participants wore face masks, she added. Cabinet ministers were tested on Saturday and all were negative, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office said.
Austria's cabinet had a scare less than two weeks ago when a close colleague of Kurz's was confirmed to have the virus.
Europe set a record this week for new coronavirus infections, with Germany, France and the Czech Republic all reporting record case numbers in the past two days.
Countries that managed to contain infection rates through spring lockdowns and began relaxing measures are watching the virus return with a vengeance. A top World Health Organization official warned on Thursday that death rates on the continent this winter could be five times as bad as the April peak if people are not strict about masks and social distancing.
(With input from agencies)