European Council President Charles Michel attends a press conference after a special EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, July 21, 2020. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua)

The EU chief learned on Tuesday that a security officer with whom he was in close contact early last week, tested positive for COVID-19, said Michel's spokesman Barend Leyts. The in-person summit, originally scheduled for Sept. 24-25, is postponed to Oct. 1-2.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Charles Michel has decided to put off a summit of the European Union (EU) leaders after he has gone into quarantine on Tuesday, his spokesman said on Twitter.

The EU chief learned on Tuesday that a security officer with whom he was in close contact early last week, tested positive for COVID-19, said spokesman Barend Leyts.

Michel himself "is tested regularly and tested negative yesterday (Monday)," but decided to go into quarantine in line with Belgian rules, Leyts tweeted.

A woman wearing a face mask walks past the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

The in-person summit, originally scheduled for Sept. 24-25, is postponed to Oct. 1-2, when EU leaders will meet here to discuss the single market, industrial policy and digital transformation, as well as external relations. The summit will also be an opportunity to take stock of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the week from Sept. 10 to Sept. 16, a total of 7,749 COVID-19 infections were reported in Belgium, whose capital plays host to the EU headquarters, an average of 1,107 new cases per day.

As the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across the globe -- including UK, Germany, China, Russia, France and the U.S. -- are racing to find a vaccine. According to the website of the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Sept. 17, 182 COVID-19 candidate vaccines had been in development worldwide, with 36 already in clinical trials.■