Portugal’s Prime Minister and Socialist Party leader António Cost announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19, two days after his landslide election victory, and just as started forming his new government.
Costa said in a statement he will self-isolate for seven days, in accordance with the country’s pandemic rules.
Costa, who has been Portugal’s prime minister since 2015 and is set to serve another four years, was due to meet with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Wednesday as a first step toward being sworn in.
The Socialists took at least 117 seats in Portugal’s 230-seat parliament, with four seats still to be allocated, in what was a thumping victory.
The election occurred amid a surge in COVID-19 cases blamed on the omicron variant. Around 1 million people were in home confinement on election days, but they could vote.