IMF’s Georgieva tests positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has tested positive for COVID-19, the IMF said on Thursday, following marathon meetings last week with global finance leaders in Washington.

In an emailed statement, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said Georgieva “is experiencing mild symptoms and is working remotely while isolating at home.”

The IMF said Georgieva, 68, is fully vaccinated and boosted and is following standard IMF and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID protocols.

It was unclear when or how Georgieva was exposed to the virus. Last week, she hosted hundreds of finance ministers, central bankers and other policymakers at the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.

The event, which during pre-pandemic years has drawn some 10,000 participants, was held this time in a scaled-down, hybrid format, with only country delegations and bank and fund staff meeting in-person at the institutions’ headquarters near the White House. Press events and civil society forums were held online.

But Georgieva did have close contact with numerous finance ministers and central bank governors, including Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, European Central Bank Governor Christine Lagarde and Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Georgieva tweeted about meetings on Saturday with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Bank of Zambia Governor Denny Kalyalya.

Washington, DC, ended its indoor mask mandate on March 1.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler and Andrea Ricci)