What a contrast in leadership styles and specifics:
Trudeau versus Trump.
Somebody should advice Trump to self-quarantine himself and lay off the narcissistic promotion of self interest for at least a few weeks.
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Trudeau travels a lot--so that doesn't help.
He always seems to be off somewhere. He just got back from a tour of Africa to bolster Canada's chances on the UN Security Council (an issue close to the hearts of millions of Canadians).
Now he can stay home for a bit.
The contrast couldn't be clearer. Canada's first family is responsible and leads by example.
Ours? The president and Ivanka have been directly exposed to at least two people who have tested positive. Which means Melania, Jared and all of their children have been as well.
Their response? Yawn. Don't bother us. Maybe we'll get tested...maybe not. It's none of your business, that's all you need to know. Now, beat it.
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Worth noting: the British Columbia Health Minister has mandated that anyone returning to Canada from any country, including the US, MUST go through a 14 day self quarantine.
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Soon to be a Neflix series? Remember, Harry and Markle are fleeing their woes by nesting in Canada.There are ingredients there for a Netlfix Romance story: Romance, diversity, class, immigration and more. All that's needed is a happy ending and the seeds are there. Millions will get sick, many of those are or will be facing imminent pain and suffering and death but millions and millionsmore will survive and thrive (accord go all those experts on CNN, MSNBC CBS Morning, et. al.
The story has to include something, however, about Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. Does anyone know, I guess this is in the realm of gossip journalists, if Sophie & Justin and Harry & Markle and Tom and Rita have been tweeting back and forth?
And don't forget Trump. He made all this possible. Okay, I exaggerate. He had help from Mitch and the other Republicans in the Senate.
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After hearing about the compassionate care that Justin Trudeau is giving to his wife due the to Coronavirus, a megalomanic leader of an other country apparently told his wife that he will divorce her in similar circumstances because:
Caesar's wife must be above infection.
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COVID-19 doesn't discriminate based upon gender, color aka race, ethnicity, national origin, faith, education, economics and politics.
Have Donald and Melania Trump been tested for COVID-19?
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Why isn’t Trump being tested for the Coronavirus?
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The celebrity virus watch is a waste of time and a distraction from actual news.
Can we stop please, and write articles about things that actually matter?
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@McGloin
Politicians are not celebrities. Whether or not government can function during an outbreak when politicians/office-holders are sick is actual news.
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@McGloin He’s the leader of Canada, not a celebrity.
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@McGloin
I disagree with you for a reason I think is shared by others. There are many people around us who "refuse to panic" and do not believe this virus is different from earlier less dynamic ones. Those folks (not you) do pay attention to celebrities' goings on and tend to believe everything that is written about them.
To read someone well-known has been voluntarily tested, accept the outcome and quarantine themselves willingly is a wow moment for those readers: "Maybe I should pay attention since he or she got this thing and are taking it seriously!"
So, McGloin, let the rest of the world read about celebs and you read something else.
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Sorry to hear, his response proper. So, she got the virus in Britain, which is exempt from the US Europe flight ban?
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Coronavirus is actually a pretty good test of pandemic response systems and procedures. It's a fairly infectious disease but not overly dangerous to most people.
Hopefully we'll all learn some important lessons from this and be more ready when something more lethal strikes.
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Note that she caught this in the UK, which Trump excluded from his European travel ban for reasons not yet explained.
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@North It was explained. Trump has 3 golf courses in the UK so you can still take your vacation at his resorts, rather than is Spain or Portugal.
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@North - He didn't want to give up his tee time in Scotland.
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@North
He understands some of them.
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Perhaps Trump will now add Canada to the list of countries banned from traveling here.
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@Bruce Given that Canada is dealing with dozens of cases imported by travelers from the US, it's much more likely that Canada would be the one to ban travel.
Canada has exported zero cases to anywhere else.
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Parliament just voted to shut down for five weeks.
Perhaps US Congress/Senate should take notes.
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As a Canadian, I find it beyond odd that the Prime Minister wasn't immediately tested once it became clear his wife had the coronavirus. Just because he's not showing symptoms, doesn't mean that he's not a host to it, does it? Immediate testing seems required, given his position and the situation and yet ...
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@A Glasier Since he is quarantined, it does not matter for now--especially if testing kits are in limited supply and can be better used elsewhere. Perhaps part of the reason for delaying a test is is that he was exposed too recently to get an accurate result.
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@A Glasier - Maybe medical officers know more than you? Did you ever stop and think that?
Tests are not infinitely precise. And until your body actually starts to shed viruses, there is nothing to detect. It isn't like radiation where you can simply test exposure.
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@Dennis This person asked a perfectly reasonable question that any reasonable person would ask. Perhaps there is a good answer but why would you respond in such a hostile way? Some people are actually interested in understanding how and why decisions are being made in this situation. Did you ever stop and think that?
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Kudos to Trudeau, a leader cognizant of the unknowns that ought to humble us...and demand we take prompt action; as he is doing by isolating himself by having been exposed to the coronavirus. Just do not expect a similar fate from 'our' own brutus ignoramus in-chief in these United States, 'damaged goods' beyond repair, highly dangerous for spreading disinformation...and supported, against all reason, by a pliable republican party, with their 'loud silence' about Trump's 'weather vanish' misconduct. And the pseudo-journalists in Trump's propaganda news media, Fox Noise. Is this the most powerful nation on Earth...while having a president with nothing of substance to talk about...and prompting decisive action to help the people he swore to serve?
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@manfred marcus
Trudeau has in fact taken the situation with a grain of salt and not done much, he has been M.I.A. on this.
Maybe this will wake him up...
@manfred marcus -- the emperor wears no clothes!
What we learn a virus doesn't care about politics and nationalities it is only affected by real world action. Time to remember we are living together on the same blue dot and should work together making it a better place for everybody.
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I wish for a speedy recovery for Ms. Gregoire Trudeau and continued good health for Mr. Trudeau. They are setting a good example for Canada and the world by calmly addressing their situation.
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She'll be fine ... the virus doesn't cause much of an illness in people under 80.
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@Robert James You completely minimize the effects of this disease. It causes severe illness in many victims with increased baseline fatalities in those 60 and above. Orders of magnitude above the flu as a reference point. For those with comorbidities such as Diabetes, Hypertension, COPD and other conditions the death rate is truly frightening.
Also, what do you consider not "much of an illness". A statistically significant percentage of adult patients of all ages develop pneumonia and require hospitalization. Some remain in ICU for weeks! Reports from even young people with the disease indicate that it is a very bad illness indeed.
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@Robert James
Not true. See, for instance, the NYT article entitled "Two Women Fell Sick from the Coronavirus. One Survived."
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@Robert James -- now that is a misconception. Read today's article in the NYTimes about two Chinese healthcare workers, one a nurse, the other a doctor. Both 29 years old. One made it, the other died.
To say, oh well, I am young and it won't affect me, so I can go about my business without worrying is the very thing that will spread the virus.
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Should he not self-quarantine for at least 4 weeks? What if he becomes infected on day 14 and is infectious when he resumes his official duties?
@Flaco Timo we should ask the CDC to update their self-quarantine guidelines if they're so clearly wrong.
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If Americans are critical of their federal government, that’s nothing compared to the general feeling up here concerning Trudeau.
BTW all schools in Montreal are closed this morning.
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@Skiplusse - This is outrageously untrue. The response by the government has been exemplary, testing was immediate and copious, containment has been maximized. Now our primary source of infection has been people returning from the United States.
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@Skiplusse
“General feeling” perhaps among Canadian conservatives. My sister, a liberal native Californian who married a Canadian and lives in Toronto, looks at Trump and the Republican stranglehold over America and can’t believe her great fortune to be living in Trudeau’s Canada. She and her Canadian husband love him.
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@Dennis
What? No, testing is hard to get and no measures for containment have been taken.
Any measures have been taken by provincial governments.
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No hysteria, available tests, and good healthcare. Wish we were so lucky. Instead the Republicans want subsidies for oil companies and are blocking the use of Medicaid to test and treat the sick. Their distorted priorities and Mitch McConnell attacking the Dems relief package make him and the rest of the administration potential candidates for charges of genocide against their own electorate. People are becoming infected with the virus after visiting the Trump’s and their FL resorts but no mention of testing the workers and families.
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@Barbara
Sophie got tested immediately and got results quickly, despite the fact GB is not on the list of countries from which travellers were deemed at risk.
The average Canadian cannot get tested under these circumstances.
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@AG
That's not true in Alberta and I don't think it's true elsewhere in Canada. People who are experiencing symptoms after travel will get tested. The difference is Sophie probably didn't have to go to a clinic. There were more than 2,000 people tested here by Wednesday (last time I checked) with 19 confirmed cases.
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Clearly, the coronavirus doesn’t care about your nationality or position of power.
On a side note, it seems like some of the international and/or famous figures testing positive have been in the US when they contracted the disease. It makes me wonder when other countries will ban flights from the US?
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Although I am not a super fan of all of Trudeau’s policies - I am happy he is leading by doing. Not overreacting, but acting with “an abundance of caution” and self-isolating even before the test results come back. Canada is escalating the call for social isolation and self-isolation and I’m listening to it... I’m supposed to go back to work at a university in China for the beginning of May and I don’t want them to close the borders to North Americans because of an out of control outbreak. However, I am prepared to teach online though and bought an iPad Pro yesterday to ease online corrections of text in a planned discussion class. I think for now I’m following advice I learned in Air Cadet - Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
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@Connie We have some sensible people left, after all - even in this era of hyper partisanship. Good to know.
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@Ramesh the Canadian constitution was written with the principles of Peace, order and good governance (POG). It has had a deep influence on our institutions and our Canadianess, that even new Canadians pick up rather quickly!
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I am sorry that folks are getting ill but is it still necessary to keep a score card of notable people that become infected?
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I think we are all waiting for it to touch the notable right here. It’s only a matter of time.
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@Kevin Phillips For some bizarre reason, many people seemed to be influenced more by the opinions and actions of celebrities than they are by factual evidence from qualified experts. Anti-vaxxers come to mind.
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@Kevin Phillips Notable people get tested, the rest of us don't.
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