Emmanuel Macron, Thursday evening, during his first appearance since the announcement of his contamination.

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Charles Platiau / AP / SIPA

  • The Elysee Palace announced Thursday morning that the president was positive for Covid-19 and that he was going to isolate himself.

  • At the same time, the government announced "transparency" on the state of health of the president.

    However, no health bulletin has yet been published.

  • This new episode does not seem to change the French doctrine on the health of heads of state: secrecy above all.

Move around, there's not much to see.

Since the beginning of the Fifth Republic, it has always been the Elysée's best kept secret: the health of the President of the Republic.

And Emmanuel Macron's Covid-19 is no exception.

Since 1974 and the death of Georges Pompidou two years before the end of his mandate from a "hidden disease", this question is an Arlesian of electoral campaigns: almost all the elected since Valéry Giscard d'Estaing have promised ballots. regular health, without really taking action.

VGE itself did not.

François Mitterrand did it.

But 

Liberation

recalls this Friday morning that the health reports of the Elysee Palace never said anything before 1992 of the president's cancer, yet diagnosed in 1981.

This time Emmanuel Macron, who has never published health bulletins since his accession to the Elysee Palace, almost four years ago, could not help but discover a little of the secret since, health protocol requires, he must go into isolation.

He is even, since Thursday evening, at the presidential residential of La Lanterne, in the park of the Palace of Versailles.

If we believe

Le Parisien

, he is accompanied by a reduced staff but especially his personal doctor, Jean-Christophe Perrochon, already there in the time of François Hollande.

This doctor attached to the army health service is “a very attentive man, with absolute discretion.

It's a grave, ”according to Gaspard Gantzer, François Hollande's former communicator.

Still no health report

The announcement of the contamination of the President of the Republic, Thursday morning, fell via a press release.

This is not a health report signed by the Elysée doctor.

This Friday morning, we still do not know if it is the intentions of the presidency to publish one.

Even less when he falls.

The Elysée still says that there will be no more comment.

He just indicated that Emmanuel Macron is tired, feverish but, of course, still at work.

For the moment, we are quite far from the “transparency” announced by the government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal.

"It will remain the rule," he said, without really knowing which rule we are talking about, the subject has always been opaque.

On France Inter, Friday morning, Franck Louvrier, the former communicator of Nicolas Sarkozy during his presidential mandate, recommended to communicate every day, twice a day as long as the agenda is disrupted.

And the more detail the better, continued his successor at the Elysee Palace, Gaspard Gantzer, still on France Inter: “It is essential from an ethical point of view but also tactically.

Because if he made the mistake of lying by action or omission it would immediately be blamed, and the plotters would have a blast.

"

Show the "body of the king"

Gantzer also recommends “showing” the president.

An "imperative" to "reassure the French".

Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, both infected earlier this year, had done so when possible.

At least on this point it was understood: Emmanuel Macron appeared Thursday evening, from the Lantern, to close, by videoconference and equipped with an FFP2 mask (more filtering than a classic surgical mask), the national humanitarian conference.

It is not yet known whether such episodes will recur.

No doubt this will be linked to the president's state of health.

A state of health which has not been so much under the spotlight since Nicolas Sarkozy.

In July 2009, the former head of state was uneasy while jogging, already in Versailles elsewhere.

He had been hospitalized briefly at the Parisian military hospital of Val-de-Grâce, recalls AFP.

Politics

Positive for Covid-19, Emmanuel Macron leaves the Elysee to isolate himself at La Lanterne

Politics

Emmanuel Macron contaminated with coronavirus, what will it change?

  • Health

  • Transparency

  • Covid 19

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Coronavirus