Egypt: John Kerry tests positive for COVID as UN climate talks slow

Egypt: John Kerry tests positive for COVID as UN climate talks slow

SHARM AL SHEIKH, Egypt: US Climate Envoy John Kerry has tested positive for COVID-19 at the UN climate talks in Egypt, a spokeswoman said late Friday night, the latest setback for what appeared to be stalled negotiations that were already going into overtime.

“He is fully vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms. He is working with his negotiations team and foreign counterparts by phone to ensure a successful outcome of COP27,” spokeswoman Whitney Smith wrote in a statement late Friday.

Kerry’s illness was sure to add to worries about the negotiations, which were scheduled to end Friday but were continuing with no clear end in sight. A former US senator and secretary of state, Kerry has deep relationships with leaders around the world and carries a lot of weight in international talks.

Negotiations, at least those in public, hit a lull Friday afternoon into the evening, as press conferences and plenaries were postponed or cancelled. Diplomats said they hoped for late night progress as they changed airline reservations for talks going into extended overtime in Egypt.

Delegates said there was some headway being made, especially on the most difficult sticking point. That’s the issue of ‘loss and damage,’ which is the idea of