First lady Melania Trump spoke with her Canadian counterpart, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, on Thursday, after Trudeau recovered from the coronavirus.
Trump “expressed her well wishes for Mrs. Grégoire Trudeau’s good health, following her recovery from COVID-19 last month, and reaffirmed her deep appreciation for the continued cooperation between the United States and Canada to address unprecedented challenges related to the pandemic,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
Gregoire Trudeau said Saturday she had recovered from the virus. The wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in mid-March that she had tested positive for the coronavirus after suffering a low-grade fever and other flu-like symptoms, and the Trudeaus have been quarantined in their Ottawa home since then.
The prime minister was taking care of their three young children, without the help of nannies or cleaners, while his wife was in quarantine in another part of their home.
The U.S. and Canada have restricted nonessential travel across their shared border in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions were also discussed during the first ladies’ call.
“First Lady Trump conveyed the importance of the two countries’ strong economic ties, noting the recent restriction on cross-border travel related to non-essential travel while keeping the border open to essential workers and $1.7 billion in daily trade in goods. They also noted the immense multilateral repatriation efforts to bring Americans and Canadians home from cruise ships and other places around the globe, and agreed to stay in touch as the two countries work to defeat the pandemic,” the White House said.
