In this Jan 22, 2019 photo, the British flag, also known as a Union Jack, flies beside European Union (EU) flags during pro and anti Brexit protests outside the Houses of Parliament in London, UK. (LUKE MACGREGOR / BLOOMBERG)

BRUSSELS - The negotiations between representatives from the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) had to be halted on Thursday after a member of the EU team tested positive for COVID-19, EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said.

Barnier, along with his UK counterpart David Frost, decided to suspend the high-level negotiations "for a short period." Barnier said on Twitter that the two sides will continue their work "in full respect of guidelines."

In his tweet, Frost said "the health of our teams comes first" and he was following the situation closely.

The latest round of negotiations for the future EU-UK partnership kicked off in Brussels early this week, aiming to find a common ground on contentious issues such as fisheries with only six weeks to go before the UK will formally leave the bloc.

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