Former Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès is being treated in an intensive care unit for COVID-19, her spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.
Wilmès, 45, who became Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the recently formed new Belgian coalition government, tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
She had announced that she had “suspicious” symptoms and had quarantined herself pending the results. Her condition is stable and she is conscious, according to her spokesperson. She specified that the source of her infection was “probably the family circle.”
As Prime Minister, she steered the country through the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in March.
Wilmès’s mother is an Ashkenazi Jew who lost several relatives in the Holocaust. In an interview earlier this year, she said that the fact that her mother is Jewish ‘’is an important element’’ in her life ‘’but it is not the sole.’’
‘’It is part of important elements that are building myself. One has not only one identity,’’ she added.
In a message on Facebook, Avi and Nehama Tawil, who run the European Jewish Community Centre in Brussels, wrote: ‘’We pray for the speedy recovery of our dear friend Sophie Wilmes! We remember your commitment, values and friendship and we are grateful to you for that! Be strong! We will soon celebrate together, again, joyous times!.’’