The head of the Lebanese foreign minister's office learned he was infected with COVID-19 during a lunch in the presence of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and other high-ranking officials in Beirut
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) The head of the Lebanese foreign minister's office learned he was infected with COVID-19 during a lunch in the presence of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and other high-ranking officials in Beirut.
Hadi Hashem told broadcaster OTV that he received a phone call relaying the news of his infection at the table, after which he left.
"I received a telephone call from the hospital saying the test was positive, so naturally I left the lunch and informed all those present," Hashem said in a remote television appearance from self-isolation on Friday.
France's top diplomat visited Lebanon this week where he met with much of the country's leadership and pushed for deep-rooted economic reforms as a condition for international aid. The diplomat also pledged an equivalent of 50 million Euros ($58 million) in humanitarian aid to the beleaguered middle Eastern nation.
Hashem told OTV that the infection is mild and that he is self-isolating in his home. He had taken the test preliminarily ahead of a trip to Denmark but is now scheduled to take another test on Monday, he said.
Le Drian's office has yet to issue any statements on the matter.
Lebanon has registered just over 3,200 COVID-19 cases nationwide with 43 deaths as a result, a comparatively mild showing despite a worrisome upward trend in recent weeks.
