Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 3, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A5 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A 5NEWS I COVID-19 PANDEMIC 1926 McGillivray Blvd., Winnipeg MB R3Y 1Y3 • 204-560-0286 Call us or visit BrightwaterSeniorLiving.com for more information. S E L L YOUR GOLD WITH TRUST Visit BirksGoldExchange.com to discover our online services. Book an appointment with our in-store experts by calling 1 (855) 873-7373. APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE OCTOBER 6TH — OCTOBER 10TH 11AM — 4PM MAISON BIRKS WINNIPEG 191 LOMBARD AVENUE, WINNIPEG, MB, R3B 0X1 Sell your unwanted gold and platinum with a competitive cash payout online and in-store. P ARIS — News that the world’s most powerful man was infected with the world’s most notorious disease dominated screens large and small, drawing shock, sympathy and some barbs for U.S. President Donald Trump. The outpouring from world leaders and flagging markets Friday left little doubt that Trump’s illness will have global implications — even if they’re still unknown. Trump’s announce- ment on Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus prompted a multitude of responses on the same platform, as well as others. The positive test reading adds to in- vestors’ worries, especially about its effect on the Nov. 3 election between the Republican president and Democrat Joe Biden. U.S. stock futures and most world markets fell on the news, as did the price of oil. “Obviously, there is an election going on in the United States where the stanc- es or approaches on COVID-19 have been a polarized political issue,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging Trump and Melania to get well quickly. “In Canada, we’ve been extremely lucky that it has not — that there has been a concerted effort, across orders of government, across political parties, to work together to be there for Canadi- ans and to get this virus under control. “We’re certainly going to continue with that in Canada,” he added, “and we recommend it as a path for people all around the world.” Other world leaders were quick to offer official sympathy from the top, many in the form of tweets directly to Trump, while something approaching schadenfreude bubbled up from else- where. Trump is the most prominent on a growing list of powerful people who have contracted the virus, including many who were skeptical of the dis- ease. Among his well-wishers were at least two who have recovered from the illness. “I’m sure that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus,” Rus- sian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a direct message to Trump released by the Kremlin. World Health Organization director- general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted “My best wishes to President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS for a full and speedy recovery.” The Trump administration in July formally notified the United Nations of its with- drawal from WHO, although the pullout won’t take effect until next year. Trump claims the UN health agency is in need of reform and is heavily influenced by China. The UN secretary-general also sent in best wishes. Italian right-wing opposition leader Matteo Salvini tweeted: “In Italy and in the world, whoever celebrates the ill- ness of a man or of a woman, and who comes to wish the death of a neighbour, confirms what he is: An idiot without soul. A hug to Melania and Donald. British Prime Minister Boris John- son, who was hospitalized for a week in April after he contracted COVID-19, wished Trump a “speedy recovery.” Former Italian Premier Silvio Ber- lusconi, who also recently recovered from a serious bout with coronavirus, has sent a message to Trump and the first lady extending his best wishes for a speedy recovery. “I know this illness from direct ex- perience, that can manifest itself also in an insidious way, but which can be overcome with correct and courageous behaviour, Berlusconi said in a mes- sage. Dr. Bharat Pankhania, who advises Johnson’s government on communic- able disease control, said he hopes that Trump’s positive test sends a message. “We need politicians, especially polit- icians like President Trump who has a lot of power and influence, to take this seriously and to support their scientists and clinicians in leading the outbreak management, rather than have polit- ical influence in trying to deny that this virus is in circulation and drag your feet around control measures because it suited your agenda.” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, speaking at a weekly news conference, did not men- tion Trump’s reluctance to wear masks when asked about his infection, but she said the news “reminded me of how widely masks are worn in Japan.” Major media across the globe played up the announcement, with bulletins crawling across TV screens in Paris and Rome, Seoul and Beijing. “To say this potentially could be a big deal is an understatement,” Rabobank said in a commentary. “Everything now takes a backseat to the latest incredible twist in this U.S. election campaign.” China’s official Xinhua News Agency flashed the news, and an anchor on state broadcaster CCTV announced it. Late Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tweeted that she was “saddened to learn Presi- dent and the First Lady of the US tested positive. Hope they both have a speedy recovery and will be fine.” The positive test result was the most- searched topic in China on the widely used social media app Weibo for hours after the announcement, with most comments mocking or critical. One user darkly joked that Trump had finally tweeted something positive. The Chinese government has bristled at Trump’s attempts to blame China, where the disease emerged, for the pandemic and called for global co-oper- ation in fighting it. It’s a message that has resonated with the public. While the uncertainty seemed palp- able on a scroll through various social media in an array of languages, many seemed to revel in the announcement. And the satirical Australian news site, the Betoota Advocate, posted a story with this headline: “Trump Family Records More Cases Of Com- munity Transmission Than Entire State Of Queensland.” — The Associated Press, with files from The Canadian Press Trump infection thrusts world into uncharted territory OTTAWA — Should U.S. President Donald Trump fall too ill with COVID-19 to be able to perform his duties, there’s an automatic backup: U.S. Vice- President Mike Pence. The Canadian approach to succession is a bit more complicated. While it might seem obvious that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland would step in if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau couldn’t do his job, there’s no fixed rule or even Canadian precedent for what happens in such a scenario. In turn, cabinet periodically creates a list of who would stand in. The most recent version was agreed upon this week and is set to be published formally on Monday. Currently, Freeland is designated as next in line to perform the prime minister’s duties, and then all the ministers in the current cabinet are listed in case she also can’t fill the role. Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay, who first served in cabinet under former prime minister Jean Chrétien, is the next in line after Freeland to act as prime minister. Heritage Minis- ter Steven Guilbeault is currently last. — The Canadian Press● MORE COVERAGE ON C4 Stand-in for PM not as clear as it is for Trump World leaders from across the globe offered their best wishes to U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. They included: Russia’s Vladimir Putin (from left), the U.K.’s Boris Johnson and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. LORI HINNANT AND FOSTER KLUG A_05_Oct-03-20_FP_01.indd A5 2020-10-02 11:02 PM ;