Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Cameron Ahmad, communications director for the prime minster, released a statement on Thursday, saying: “Following medical recommendations, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive. Also following medical advice, she will remain in isolation for the time being. She is feeling well, is taking all recommended precautions, and her symptoms remain mild.”
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The statement continued that Prime Minister Trudeau “is in good health with no symptoms. As a precautionary measure and following the advice of doctors, he will be in isolation for a planned period of 14 days. Also on the advice of doctors, he will not be tested at this stage since he has no symptoms. For the same reason, doctors say there is no risk to those who have been in contact with him recently.”
Update on Sophie & the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/EkJL5rWGUN
— Cameron Ahmad (@CameronAhmad) March 13, 2020
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau began experiencing flu-like symptoms Wednesday night after returning from a speaking engagement in London, Ahmad said.
A personal message from Trudeau reads that she’d “like to say a big thank you to all those who have reached out to me asking how I’m doing. Although I’m experiencing uncomfortable symptoms of the virus, I will be back on my feet soon.”
“Being in quarantine at home is nothing compared to other Canadian families who might be going through this and for those facing mores serious health concerns,” her statement continued.
Judd Deere, White House deputy press secretary, said earlier Thursday that President Donald Trump “spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada. The two leaders discussed developments related to the coronavirus pandemic and their efforts to combat the virus. The leaders also discussed other important bilateral issues, including telecommunications.”
Political leaders in several other countries around the world have also been infected by the virus.
In the United Kingdom, the country’s health minister, Nadine Dorries, has been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the BBC. She is also a Conservative member of Parliament.
In Brazil, Fabio Wajngarten, a senior adviser to Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, tested positive for the coronavirus, just five days after he was among a group of officials who met with Trump. Brazilian media reported that Bolsonaro was also being tested for the virus Thursday.
In Iran, at least 23 members of the country’s Parliament have the virus, as does the head of the country’s emergency services. On Monday, Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a close confidante and adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died of coronavirus. The virus has also killed Iran’s former ambassador to the Vatican, as well as a recently elected member of Parliament.
In Italy, Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of the country’s Democratic Party, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to media reports.
“So, it’s arrived, I also have coronavirus,” he said in a Facebook post. “I am fine, and therefore I am in quarantine at home. From here, I’ll continue to do what I can do … I have always said ‘don’t panic’ and that we will fight this.”
Of the more than 127,000 people who have been infected worldwide, more than 4,700 have died.
Trudeau has been prime minister of Canada since 2015. He and Sophie Grégoire have been married since 2005.
