BEIRUT (Reuters) – Leading Lebanese politician Gebran Bassil has been infected with a “mild” case of the coronavirus, his party said, as cases surge throughout the country.

Bassil, the son-in-law of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and a former foreign minister who heads the country’s largest Christian political bloc, discovered he was infected on Saturday after several tests, a statement released by his party said.

“Bassil wanted to issue this statement to inform all those he was recently in contact with, as they could not all be contacted individually, and to apologize for not knowing in advance about the matter,” the Free Patriotic Movement said in the statement.

Bassil will self-quarantine and work remotely, the statement, which did not specify when Bassil last met with the 85-year-old Aoun, said. Lebanon’s leading politicians have been meeting frequently in recent weeks amid efforts to form a new government.

The country has seen a spike in coronavirus infections following a devastating Aug. 4 port blast. On Saturday, the country registered a record 1,280 new daily infections. The virus has killed at least 340 people.

(Reporting by Beirut bureau; writing by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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