Melania Trump speaks with Canada’s first lady following her coronavirus recovery

First lady Melania Trump spoke by phone Thursday with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, days after she announced she has recovered from the coronavirus.

The first lady “expressed her well wishes for Mrs. Grégoire Trudeau’s good health, following her recovery from COVID-19 last month, and reaffirmed her deep appreciation for the continued cooperation between the United States and Canada to address unprecedented challenges related to the pandemic,” according to a statement issued by the White House.

Grégoire Trudeau said Saturday that she has recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, after it was revealed that she tested positive on March 12. Neither the prime minister nor their children showed symptoms of the virus, and the family has been self-isolating.

President Trump announced an agreement with Canada in mid-March to restrict nonessential travel across the United States-Canadian border in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, which has sickened people in 180 countries, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The travel restrictions came up during the phone call between the first lady and Grégoire Trudeau on Thursday.

“First Lady Trump conveyed the importance of the two countries’ strong economic ties, noting the recent restriction on cross-border travel related to non-essential travel while keeping the border open to essential workers and $1.7 billion in daily trade in goods,” the White House said.