The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office said late Thursday.
“Sophie Gregoire Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. The couple are staying home until the tests results are returned. Mr Trudeau is not exhibiting any symptoms.
There are currently approximately 103 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada.
Under his doctor’s advice, he is continuing daily activities while monitoring his health but “out of an abundance of caution” he is working from home, the statement said.
A number of politicians around the globe have been self-isolating in recent days after coming into possible contact with the virus, including five senior US Republicans and a Canadian cabinet minister
Many of the world’s largest coronavirus outbreaks took root in and around well-travelled cities, but they have since grown to encompass entire countries.
Cases have spread across Italy’s north and down to Rome, leading to a lockdown of the entire country. Iran’s capital, where leaders dismissed the virus just two weeks ago, has seen thousands infected. And cases continue to surge across Europe.
NEW CASES IN PAST WEEK TOTAL CASES PER 100K RESIDENTS
Italy 11,255 15,113 25
Iran 6,562 10,075 12
Spain 2,691 2,950 6
France 2,496 2,876 5
Germany 1,887 2,369 3
South Korea 1,781 7,869 16
The outbreaks are not all heading in the same direction. South Korea has managed to slow growth of new cases for now, through intensive testing and monitoring of infections. Italy, Iran and the United States are still reporting large numbers of new cases every day.
Official case totals are an imperfect method of judging the world’s outbreaks. Every country has more cases than it has been able to detect through lab tests. And a shortage of testing kits in some countries, like Indonesia and the United States, along with a lack of public disclosure in others, like Egypt, means official reports are probably masking large outbreaks.