News that a Parti Socialiste (PS) member has coronavirus has led the party's leader to announce he will "limit" meetings and put the party's Brussels headquarters on lockdown.
PS leader Paul Magnette said that a doctor had advised him to "limit his physical contacts" after it was established that he was in close contact with the member who tested positive for the virus.
Staff working at the party's headquarters in Boulevard de l'Empereur in downtown Brussels have been asked to stay away from the office and work from home "in the coming days," the Belga news agency reported.
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Unconfirmed media reports suggest that the member who tested positive for the virus was the party's head of research, who is in constant contact with Magnette.
Magnette, who is involved in the laggard negotiations to form a federal government, is taking the measures as a precaution and has not been advised to go into quarantine, as he has not displayed any symptoms of the virus, RTBF reports.
The leader of the largest party in both Brussels and Wallonia will attend any potential meetings or talks regarding the negotiations but would take the precautions recommended by public health officials, according to the outlet.
The weekly meeting of Wallonia's largest was adjourned as a result of the confirmed case and will be postponed, a party spokesperson told Belga.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
