Trudeau Says 6 Members Of His Team Have COVID-19 & That 'We Need To Keep Our Guard Up'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed that six members of his staff and security team have recently tested positive for COVID-19.

On Wednesday, December 22, the Canadian leader joined a press conference announcing expanded benefit eligibility for workers and businesses affected by the pandemic.

While sharing the update, he made it clear that his office is "not immune" to the spread of the Omicron variant.

"We know this variant is spreading very quickly around the world, around the country, and indeed, around our own communities and offices," Trudeau told reporters. "We have three members of my staff and three members of my security detail who have tested positive."

He said that those affected are following public health guidance and said that everybody else should be doing the same.

The PM is also following recommendations that he self-monitor for symptoms, take tests regularly and reduce his contacts as much as possible. He confirmed that as of right now, he does not need to be in full isolation.

"We have to keep our guard up," he reminded Canadians, while also acknowledging that people are fed up with the pandemic.

"I get it. None of us want to be here," Trudeau said. "We’re tired of COVID, we want it to just go away, but we know it’s not going to just go away unless we all do our part."

He added that healthcare workers haven't had much of a break over the past two years and that we need to prevent the Omicron variant from "overwhelming our healthcare systems."

"In order to do that, we have to keep contacts low," he explained. "We have to make choices that are going to keep us and our families safe because Omicron is out there and the way we show our support for those people who have been keeping us safe is by making sure they don’t get overloaded this winter."

As for what Trudeau and his family are up to over the holidays, he said he'll be spending Christmas Day at Rideau Cottage, which also happens to be his 50th birthday.

This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.