Canberra [Australia], Mar 13 : Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
"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 Health this afternoon that the test had returned positive," he said in a statement.
Earlier today, Dutton did not attend his usual Today Show interview due to a "stomach bug".
Dutton had recently returned from a tour of the United States.
During his visit, the minister met with officials from the US, the UK, Canadian and New Zealand in Washington on 6 March.
Australia has reported 156 positive cases of the virus. Australian authorities expect the virus to spread faster after the onset of the Southern Hemisphere winter.
WHO has declared the novel coronavirus as a pandemic with over 130000 confirmed cases globally and more than 4,600 deaths as per the latest data.
( With inputs from ANI )