Toronto: He has been stuck inside his house in Ottawa since March 12 with his three young children. He has been juggling work meetings on his phone with parenting and household duties normally executed by his staff or his wife, who is sick.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, speaks to members of the media outside of his residence at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, Ontario.Credit:Bloomberg
Like millions of people around the world, Justin Trudeau has been improvising a new housebound routine in the time of the new coronavirus. The difference is, he's running a G7 country.
Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, was the first leader of a major industrialised country to go into self-isolation, when his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, came down with flu-like symptoms and later tested positive for the virus.
On Sunday, Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, became the second, after learning that her doctor, who had given her a pneumonia shot a few days earlier, had tested positive for the virus.
Trudeau could give her a few tips, since he has become a model for the prescribed way to prevent further spread of the disease — working alone in his home study, without his usual political aides or personal staff like nannies or cleaners.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, casts his ballot surrounded by his family in Montreal, Quebec, Canada last year.Credit:Bloomberg
"We are following medical advice, as should all Canadians," he said at a news briefing, set up outside the front door of his house with cameras and reporters stationed a safe distance away. These daily briefings are the only time he has ventured outside his home since entering isolation.
Trudeau says he is healthy and has not displayed any symptoms of the virus himself.
The initial reaction in Canada to his situation was mixed, reflecting the country's deep political divide. Some Canadians wished the prime minister well and praised him for "truly leading by example." Others responded with personal attacks and demanded he stay isolated indefinitely.
Almost two months after the first Canadian was diagnosed with the coronavirus, the country's count had risen by Monday morning to 1474 confirmed cases and 20 deaths.
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