EU chief scraps meetings because driver is COVID-19 positive

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that she has cancelled her in-person appointments at the European Parliament this week after her driver tested positive for COVID-19.

Von der Leyen said she was already in Strasbourg, France, for the plenary when she was told of the news and immediately headed back to European Union headquarters in Brussels.

She faced a heavy program in Strasbourg over the next three days, including attending a solemn remembrance for David Sassoli, the European Parliament president, who died last week.

She was also scheduled to have meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and preside over the College of EU Commissioners for their weekly meeting. “Regretfully, I must therefore cancel my participation” to the legislative session, she tweeted.