A top Australian official who met with Ivanka Trump and Attorney General William Barr last week has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Peter Dutton, the Australian minister for foreign affairs, interacted with the first daughter, attorney general, and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway at a gathering last week in Washington, D.C., of the Five Eyes spying alliance that also includes Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
The Australian Embassy in the United States shared a photograph of the officials standing together in close proximity.
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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
Dutton released a statement on Friday in which he described his situation.
“This morning I woke up with a temperature and sore throat. I immediately contacted the Queensland Department of Health and was subsequently tested for COVID-19. I was advised by Queensland this afternoon that the test had returned positive,” Dutton said. “I feel fine and will provide an update in due course.”
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) March 13, 2020
COVID-19 cases have appeared in every continent except Antarctica. Nearly 135,000 people have tested positive for the virus around the world, killing at least 4,988 people, according to the New York Times. In the U.S., more than 1,600 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and at least 40 patients have died. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic on Wednesday.
