Former French Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem Halts Regional Campaign After COVID-19 Diagnosis

"Despite my vigilance, I have just tested positive for Covid-19. I immediately apply the rule: I isolate myself for 10 days. I inform all my close contacts of the last 48 hours. Do the same if it happens to you: protect yourself, protect others," wrote the former minister of François Hollande on her Twitter account.

Since Monday, March 22, she has suspended her field campaign until April 2, her team said in a press release. "She immediately applies the rule that applies to everyone, in all circumstances: total isolation for 10 days. Tested regularly, all her close contacts over the past 48 hours have been notified," reports HuffPost.

Najat Vallaud-Belkacem had announced on March 14 her candidacy for the June regional elections. Through this initiative, she says she wants to embody "an alternative" to the politics and governance of Laurent Wauquiez (LR), who had taken over the region in 2016 and whom she accuses of "clientelism" and "short-termism". In addition to the PS, her list brings together the PRG, Cap écologie and the Republican and Social Left.