The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for coronavirus. The head of government is therefore placed in solitary confinement for 15 days.
Canadian Prime Minister Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for the new coronavirus on Thursday and will be in quarantine “for an indefinite period”, while the head of government will remain in solitary confinement for two weeks.
His cabinet announced:
“The Prime Minister is in good health and has no symptoms. However, as a precaution and according to the advice of the doctors, he will be in solitary confinement for an expected period of 14 days”
He also stated that the Prime Minister’s wife was feeling “good” and that her symptoms were “moderate”.
I have some additional news to share this evening. Unfortunately, the results of Sophie’s COVID-19 test are positive. Therefore, she will be in quarantine for the time being. Her symptoms remain mild and she is taking care of herself and following the advice of our doctor.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 13, 2020
Trudeau, 48, will not be tested “at this stage” and “will continue to assume his full responsibilities,” said his office, adding that the Prime Minister would speak to Canadians on Friday.
Read also: France’s measures to combat the coronavirus
A growing crisis
His services had announced in the morning that the head of government had decided to work from home while his wife “gets tested for the Covid-19 “. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau had had flu symptoms since returning from a trip to London.
Justin Trudeau called his Italian and British counterparts, Giuseppe Conte and Boris Johnson, as well as US President Donald Trump during the day, his cabinet said.
On Friday, he will meet by telephone with the Premiers of the Canadian provinces to take stock of the fight against the epidemic, which has gained momentum in Canada in recent days. This meeting, initially scheduled in the presence of interested parties in Ottawa, was cancelled in extremis due to coronavirus.
“Unpleasant symptoms”
In a personal message to Canadians, Justin Trudeau’s wife wanted to be reassuring about her own case.
“Although I have some unpleasant symptoms associated with the virus, I will get back on my feet shortly,” she says. “I find myself in quarantine but nothing of my condition compares to the fate of other Canadian families whose health is more seriously affected”.
Canada reported Thursday more than 150 cases of coronavirus on its territory, most in Ontario (centre) and British Columbia (west), with a single death to date.
A child and baby became the first two miners to test positive in Canada on Thursday. A second retirement home is now affected in British Columbia.
With 13 cases, the Quebec government has announced a series of reinforced measures, calling in particular on travellers returning from abroad to place themselves in solitary confinement for two weeks.
The provincial government, imitated soon after by Alberta and then British Columbia (west), also banned indoor gatherings of more than 250 people. He called on Quebeckers to favour telework whenever possible.
Montreal in quarantine?
“I ask all people who return from abroad or who have symptoms comparable to the flu, to place themselves in voluntary isolation for 14 days”, regardless of the country of origin, announced the Premier of Quebec François Legault at a press conference.
Pour le moment, la pandémie de Covid-19 est sous contrôle au Québec. Mais il faut prendre toutes les mesures pour ralentir la propagation du virus. Cliquez sur le lien pour visionner ma conférence de presse :https://t.co/DnnpRBsJNg
— François Legault (@francoislegault) March 12, 2020
“For the moment, the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Quebec,” he said. But “we are in a crisis that will last for months (…) The next two weeks will be critical,” he warned.
In Montreal, Mayor Valérie Plante has not ruled out the possibility of quarantining the island and its approximately two million inhabitants.
Meanwhile, swimming pools, libraries and other municipal institutions of the Quebec metropolis will be closed for an indefinite period, as well as several tourist places such as the famous Botanical Garden.
The province of Ontario, which had around 60 cases on Thursday, announced that all schools will remain closed until April 5th.
The spread of the virus also led to the cancellation on Thursday of the Juno Canadian Music Awards ceremony, due to take place on Sunday in Saskatchewan (west), as well as the traditional St. Patrick’s Day parade in Montreal, scheduled for March 22nd.
