Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel hospitalised with COVID-19

July 6, 2021 48-year-old Prime Minister of Luxembourg was admitted to hospital on Sunday as a precautionary measure after testing positive for COVID-19 on June 27.

According to a press release by the Luxembourg Ministry of State, the Prime Minister will during his stay, and remain under medical observation for 24 hours unless advised otherwise.

Bettel tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a European Council meeting in neighbouring Brussels, Belgium on June 25 with fellow European Union leaders. However, a Council official told  precautions observed, including social-distancing and the wearing of face masks, meant none of the other leaders were considered "close contacts".

Several world leaders, including the prime ministers of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal and Council President, went into voluntary self-isolation after Slovakia Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19 last December.

Bettel initially reported mild symptoms, such as a fever and headache, after both a self-test and test yielded positive results, according to Delano.lu. He planned to self-isolate for ten days from June 27, and perform his duties by teleworking.

Bettel received his first dose of the on May 6, and had planned to get his second jab this month, reported Delano.lu.

Luxembourg has experienced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections over the past ten days, according to The Guardian. 136 people tested positive for the virus on Saturday; according to Delano.lu, new daily cases had not exceeded 100 since May 18. Most new cases are attributed to the more-infectious Delta variant: 59.4% on July 2.