International

Justin Trudeau says he’s tested COVID-19 positive

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19.

Trudeau said he is “feeling fine” and will work remotely this week. He also urged his Twitter followers to get vaccinated and boosted against the virus. 

“This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine — and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.

Trudeau is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and received his booster shot earlier this month. 

Trudeau revealed on Thursday that he was isolating at home after being exposed to the virus. He told The Canadian Press that one of his kids tested positive for the virus, which triggered his isolation.

He had tested negative for the virus at least twice before announcing his diagnosis on Monday, according to The Canadian Press.

The positive test result comes just over one week after truckers in Canada set off on a march from Vancouver to Ottawa to protest the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers. Thousands of protesters demonstrated in front of Parliament on Saturday, according to The New York Times.

The demonstration started by the truckers was first meant to protest a rule that requires truckers reentering Canada from the U.S. to quarantine and get tested for the virus. Foreign truckers who have not received the jab are not permitted to enter Canada.

The protest has since, however, expanded to include individuals objecting to Canada’s COVID-19 regulations and Trudeau, according to the Times.

Canada reinstated a testing requirement for returning travelers last month to control the spread of the virus. The country at the time had also advised residents against traveling internationally because of the surge in infections, which was, in part, driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans to avoid travel to Canada, citing a “very high level of COVID-19” in the country. 

–Updated at 11:03 a.m.