ZCZC
BFF-20
AUSTRALIA-FM-VIRUS-POSITIVE
Austrian FM tests positive for COVID-19
VIENNA, Oct 17, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander
Schallenberg has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his spokesperson
said Saturday morning.
Schallenberg received the test result on Friday afternoon and has been
under home quarantine with no symptoms so far, the spokesperson said.
Employees and persons with close contact with him were immediately
separated after the test results were known and would also take tests,
according to health authorities.
Schallenberg attended several government meetings on Wednesday, during
which both the minister and the other members of the federal government wore
masks, according to health authorities.
As a precaution, all government officials would be tested later on
Saturday. There is a suspicion that Schallenberg could have been infected at
the Council of Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, according to local
media.
Austria has seen a surge in new cases for the past few days, with its
COVID-19 traffic light switched to red for the first time in four districts
around the country on Thursday.
There have been 62,455 positive test results in the Alpine country as of
Friday afternoon, with 901 people dead and 44,972 recovered from COVID-19,
according to an online dashboard by the Agency for Health and Food Safety.
BSS/XINHUA/SSS/1403 hrs