Top politicians, celebrities and sportspeople have been infected as governments take strict measures to curb the virus.
The coronavirus pandemic has spread to at least 188 countries and territories, with the worldwide death toll from the virus reaching more than 941,300.
Among the more than 29.8 million cases recorded globally are government officials, celebrities and sports personalities as authorities around the world grapple to contain the spread of the virus.
Many high-profile events have been cancelled. They include the annual Met Gala – often referred to as fashion’s biggest night out – which was postponed indefinitely from its scheduled date in May, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the United States.
The Cannes Film Festival, due to be held in France in May, has also been postponed, with organisers now looking at June or July dates.
Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, British actor Idris Elba, Britain’s Prince Charles, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, singer Pink and opera singer Placido Domingo are some of the best-known people to be infected so far.
Who else has been affected?
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom: The former Maldives president said he tested positive for COVID-19 on August 25. In a Twitter post, the 82-year-old said he wished for a “speedy recovery and good health” for himself and “all other sick people”.
Eduardo Ano: The philippine interior secretary, who is helping to spearhead the country’s coronavirus response, tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing flu-like symptoms, authorities said on August 17.
Raul Grijalva: A high-ranking member of the US Congress from the state of Arizona announced on August 2 that he has the coronavirus.
Tareck El Aissami: The Venezuelan oil minister contracted the COVID-19 disease on July 10, he said on Twitter, a day after the leader of the socialist party, Diosdado Cabello, tested positive for the virus as well.
Jeanine Andez: Bolivia’s president said on July 9 on her Twitter account that she has tested positive for coronavirus. The Bolivian government confirmed that at least seven ministers, including the country’s health minister, had tested positive and were either undergoing treatment or recuperating at home.
Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil’s president tested positive for COVID-19 on July 7 after months of downplaying the virus’s severity.
Michelle Bolsonaro: Brazil’s first lady tested positive for the new coronavirus, the government announced on July 30, five days after her husband Jair Bolsonaro said he had recovered from his COVID-19 infection.
Kwaku Agyemang-Manu: Ghana’s health minister contracted COVID-19 “in the line of duty”, but is in a stable condition, the West African nation’s president said on June 14.
Riek Machar: South Sudan’s vice president and his wife Angelina Teny, who serves as defence minister, tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said on May 18.
Dmitry Peskov: The spokesman for the Kremlin in Russia said on May 12 that he tested positive for coronavirus.
Ferozuddin Feroz: Afghanistan’s health minister contracted the COVID-19 disease on May 7 but recovered after two weeks of isolation at his residence.
Olga Lyubimova: Russia’s Culture Minister tested positive for the virus on May 6. Lyubimova has mild symptoms and is continuing to work remotely, conducting meetings online, her press secretary Anna Usacheva said.
Faisal Edhi: The head of Pakistan’s biggest charity organisation, the Edhi Foundation, and the son of world-renowned philanthropist, the late Abdul Sattar Edhi, has been tested positive for the coronavirus.
Asad Qaiser: Pakistan’s parliament speaker said he had tested positive for COVID-19 on May 1 after hosting an iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad: Pakistan’s railways minister tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a ministry statement on June 8.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi: Pakistan’s former prime minister tested positive for coronavirus, his family and party confirmed on June 8.
Carmen Calvo: Spain’s deputy prime minister tested positive for coronavirus on March 25, the Spanish government said.
Prince Charles: The Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne tested positive for the coronavirus on March 25. The 71-year-old is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, said a spokesman for the Clarence House royal residence, adding that he was self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland. Prince Charles’s wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has also been tested but does not have the virus.
Abba Kyari: The Nigerian president’s chief of staff has tested positive for coronavirus, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on March 24. In his 70s, Kyari is an important figure in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
Rand Paul: The Republican from Kentucky is the first US senator to test positive for coronavirus.
Prince Albert: Monaco’s Prince Albert II has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the principality said in a statement on Thursday, adding there were “no concerns for his health” and that the titular head of the Mediterranean enclave is continuing to work from his private apartments at the royal palace.
Michel Barnier: The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said in a tweet that he has tested positive for the virus.
Bento Albuquerque: Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday that Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque has tested positive for coronavirus – the second cabinet member to be infected.
Augusto Heleno: Brazil’s national security adviser said on March 18 on his Twitter account that he has tested positive for coronavirus, though he did not have any symptoms. Heleno, 72, a retired army general and one of Bolsonaro’s closest aides, said he is currently under isolation at his home while waiting for a second test.
Jeremy Issacharoff: Israel’s ambassador to Germany has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement March 17. Issacharoff was reported to have contracted the virus following a meeting with a deputy from the Federal Assembly of Germany, whose name was not mentioned.
Friedrich Merz: The 64-year-old politician, who has been campaigning to lead Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at a congress planned for this year, said on Twitter on March 17 that he tested positive for coronavirus and was under self-isolation at home.
Kozo Tashima: The head of Japan’s football association tested positive for the virus on March 17. Tashima is also deputy head of Japan’s Olympic Committee.
Nadine Dorries: A minister in the UK’s health department was the first British politician to test positive on March 10.
Idris Elba: The British actor and musician said he has tested positive for COVID-19 on March 16 in a video posted on social media and that, although he had no symptoms so far, he was isolating himself from others.
Athletes, teams:
Mariano Diaz: Real Madrid forward tested positive for COVID-19 on July 28.
Xavi Hernandez: The Al-Sadd coach and former Barcelona and Spain midfielder said on July 25 he tested positive for COVID-19, but was asymptomatic. The 40-year-old said he will self-isolate as his team prepares for its first match after the Qatar Stars League was suspended due to the pandemic.
Dylan Frittelli: The South African golfer will miss this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club after testing positive for COVID-19. Frittelli, who missed the cut at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, is the fourth golfer to test positive since the elite United States tour resumed on June 11.
Novak Djokovic: The world’s number-one tennis player and his wife both tested positive for the coronavirus disease on June 23, a day after three other tennis players all confirmed they had COVID-19 after taking part in the Adria Tour that Djokovic had organised.
Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Cotic, and Viktor Troicki: The tennis players all confirmed they had tested positive for the coronavirus on June 22-23, after Novak Djokovic organised the Adria Tour in Serbia and Croatia.
Patrick Ewing: The former NBA player, who has been coaching Georgetown University’s men’s basketball team the Georgetown Hoyas since 201, said on May 23 that he tested positive for the new coronavirus.
English Premier League: Twelve football players and team staff have so far tested positive in three rounds of testing by the Premier League.
Von Miller: The National Football League star is the highest-profile American athlete to announce he contracted COVID-19.
James Dolan: The 64-year-old New York Knicks owner has tested positive for the coronavirus. He is the first known major professional sports owner in the US to have contracted COVID-19. Dolan also owns the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers and is executive chairman and CEO of the Madison Square Garden Company.
Serhat Guler: On March 25, the Turkish Boxing Federation said national team member Serhat Guler and trainer Seyfullah Dumlupinar tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from an Olympic qualifier in London. The statement said the federation was awaiting test results from two other athletes who showed symptoms.
Marco Sportiello: The goalkeeper for Italian football team Atalanta tested positive for coronavirus on March 24.
Jason Collins: On March 24, Collins, who played 13 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons from 2001 to 2014 and spent seven-plus years with the Brooklyn Nets, said on Twitter he believes he caught coronavirus on March 4 when the Nets hosted the Memphis Grizzlies.
Ottawa Senators: An unidentified Ottawa Senators player has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first known case in North America’s National Hockey League. The Senators said the player has mild symptoms and is in isolation, and that they were notifying anyone who had close contact with him.
SOURCE:
Aljazeera
