As he begins a week of self-isolation, France's Emmanuel Macron is facing questions over the precautions he may or may not have taken in the lead-up to his testing positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, reports BBC News.
The president released a selfie video on Friday, saying he was feeling fine but his work had "slowed down a little because of the virus".
Over the previous week President Macron attended a number of high-profile events, including an EU summit and a working dinner with political heavyweights at the Élysée Palace on Wednesday night.
Many of the officials and foreign leaders he met have themselves begun self-isolating too.
Mr Macron's office strongly denies claims that he acted recklessly. In his video he said he had caught the virus despite taking great care, through "no doubt a moment of carelessness, a moment of bad luck too".
The president is no ordinary Covid patient. He may be shielding from other people, but he cannot shield from questions about his condition and the decisions he took.
Given the incubation period, he may have become infected at a two-day meeting of European Council heads of state in Brussels on Thursday and Friday last week.
Officials insist that the leaders observed social distancing during formal discussions and wore masks as they mingled. Mr Macron also says he has consistently maintained social distancing, worn a mask and regularly cleaned his hands with anti-bacterial gel.
An EU diplomat told the Europe 1 website that if Mr Macron did contract the virus in Brussels, "chances are he was contaminated by his own delegation".
On Monday, the French president went to a conference in Paris organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Those who are now isolating following these meetings include European Council President Charles Michel, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the OECD secretary-general, as well as prime ministers from Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and parliamentary speaker Richard Ferrand are also self-isolating.
In his video, the president said he was suffering from fatigue, headaches and a dry cough, like hundreds of thousands of others in France.
After coming down with the symptoms on Thursday, he left the Élysée palace and is now self-isolating at La Lanterne, a presidential residence outside Paris.
Despite his condition, he has held several meetings via-videoconferencing. He said he would continue to focus on "priority" issues such as the pandemic and Brexit and he would continue managing day-to-day affairs with the prime minister, the government and his teams.
On Monday, Mr Macron is expected to chair the last cabinet meeting of the year. He is being looked after by a military doctor.
Much of the criticism Mr Macron faces focuses on the dinner he hosted at the Élysée Palace on Wednesday night.
At least ten senior aides and elected officials are thought to have taken part in the event - which reportedly lasted until about midnight.