Australian Official Who Met Bill Barr, Ivanka Trump, Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Australia's minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton returns home with virus
© press
An Australian official who previously met with U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Ivanka Trump has been put in isolation at a hospital Friday after testing positive for coronavirus.
Australia's minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton, returned from Washington D.C. after attending a Five Eyes intelligence network conference.
"This morning, I woke up with a temperature and sore throat," Dutton revealed in a statement posted on Twitter.
"I Immediately contacted the Queensland Department of Health and was subsequently tested for COVID-19."
"I was advised by Queensland Health this afternoon that the test had returned positive."
"It is the policy of Queensland Health that anyone who tests positive is to be admitted into hospital, and I have complied with their advice."
© press
"I feel fine and will provide an update in due course."
The Australian authorities have recommended people avoid nonessential gatherings of 500 or more and to reconsider all international travel.
Currently, Australia has over 120 confirmed cases.
Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump in Mar-A-Lago to discuss the crisis in Venezuela, trade, and other economic issues on Saturday.
Dutton's meeting with officials from the Trump administration comes as Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro also tested positive for coronavirus.
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) March 13, 2020
Yesterday 🇦🇺 Home Affairs @PeterDutton_MP joins @IvankaTrump, Attorney General Barr & our five eyes partners 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇳🇿 to fight online child exploitation. We heard from 9 brave survivors & announced principles that technology companies should implement to protect children online pic.twitter.com/3ifeJnGJPI
— Australia in the US 🇦🇺🇺🇸 (@AusintheUS) March 6, 2020
© press
The positive diagnosis comes just days after Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump in Mar-A-Lago, Fox News has confirmed.
White House officials were then called into an urgent meeting in the chief of staff’s office, according to Fox News.
Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo told Fox News that they are doing further testing to confirm the diagnosis, adding that they expect the second set of testing results later Friday.
Bolsonaro had been tested after one of his deputies, who was also in attendance at the Florida resort, was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Fabio Wajngarten, the communications secretary for the 64-year-old Brazilian leader who had traveled to Miami for the meeting as well, showed flu symptoms and tested positive for the virus early Wednesday.
