Coronavirus pandemic reaches world leaders and disrupts global sporting events
The coronavirus has reached the highest levels of government and the sporting world, with Canada’s prime minister isolating himself when his wife tested positive, the Arsenal manager and a Chelsea player being diagnosed and the Australian Grand Prix cancelled just hours before the event was due to start.
On Thursday night, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Justin Trudeau’s wife, announced she had been diagnosed with Covid-19 after returning from the UK. Her symptoms were mild and she began two weeks of isolation. Her husband also began isolation and was “in good health with no symptoms”.
At the United Nations in New York, a diplomat from the Philippines also tested positive, in what is believed to be the the first case at the UN’s headquarters.
The Philippines acting UN ambassador, Kira Azucena, said: “As of today, the Philippine mission is in lockdown, and all personnel are instructed to self-quarantine and to seek medical attention should they develop the symptoms. We are assuming that all of us have been infected.”
It is thought the mission has 12 diplomats in New York, located on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The woman, who has not been named, is believed to have been asymptomatic when she was at the UN building on Monday, before falling ill on Tuesday.
In Australia, the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, confirmed on Friday that he had tested positive to Covid-19.
