Italian President Sergio Mattarella, 81, has been tested for COVID-19 but has mild symptoms, including a low temperature, his press office said on Saturday in a statement cited by Reuters.

Mattarella has canceled official actions he had planned for the next few days, but continues to carry out his other duties in isolation at his apartment in the Quirinal Palace in Rome, the quoted source said.

On Wednesday, Mattarella attended the opening night of the new season at the Scala Opera House in Milan, along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The 2022-2023 season opened Wednesday with a performance of “Boris Godunov” by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky during a demonstration by protesters against the war in Ukraine in front of the building. Asked about the protests sparked by the selection of the Russian composer’s piece, Maloney said politics and culture should be separated, a view echoed by Mattarella and von der Leyen.

In Italy, the position of the country’s president is mostly honorary and confers limited powers. However, it is the duty of the president to intervene to resolve serious institutional crises, although this is an exceptional case. (Source: Agerpres)