Sophie Trudeau, Justine Trudeau's wife, recovers from COVID-19: 'I feel so much better'
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has recovered from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) illness, according to a statement on social media. Trudeau's wife was announced to have tested positive by the Prime Minister's office on March 12th.
Sophie Trudeau took to Facebook to announce the news. She wrote, "I feel so much better and received a positive health check from my doctor and Public Health Ottawa. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all those who have sent me their best wishes. Sending all my love and courage to the people who are suffering right now."
Trudeau's statement continued, "We're going through hard times. I know it's not easy being alone. We are beings that need each other to grow up including me! But all that physical distance needed to protect ourselves right now should encourage us to create more emotional close. We need to help each other and use social media to keep good communication between us and deepen our relationships."
The Prime Minister had self-isolated himself after news of his wife testing positive. While that two-week period is now over and Trudeau has not reported experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, the prime minister suggested Saturday that he would continue to work from home to set an example for Canadians who are being asked to stay at home.
Sophie Trudeau also took to Instagram to share the update via the app's stories feature. She said, "Obviously it's difficult because some people are losing their jobs, some people are suffering in isolation and alone. And we need to learn that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together."
She continued, "Let’s be allies. Let’s continue to be caring and help the most vulnerable because we know for sure when we go through this, we will be stronger because we have had each other’s backs."
Ontario, Canada's most populous province, meanwhile, said Saturday that it is prohibiting gatherings of five people or more. The order was effective immediately and replaced one that prohibited public events of over 50 people. It does not apply to households with five or more people, and funerals will be permitted with up to 10 people at one time.
"If we are going to stop the spread of COVID-19 now and keep our communities safe, we need to take extraordinary measures to ensure physical distancing," said Premier Doug Ford in a statement. "I strongly encourage everyone to do the responsible thing and stay home unless absolutely necessary. I can assure everyone that we will do everything in our power to stop this virus in its tracks."
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 65% of all COVID-19 cases were related to community transmission, while 35% were either exposed while traveling or exposed to a traveler returning to Canada. Canada has 5,386 confirmed cases according to the agency, with the death toll standing at 60 as of March 28th. The province of Quebec reported 2,498 confirmed cases.