Australian opposition leader gets COVID while campaigning

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s opposition leader has tested positive for COVID-19 in the second week of a campaign ahead of the May 21 federal election. Anthony Albanese is the 59-year-old leader of the center-left Labor Party. He said in a statement Thursday he is feeling fine and will isolate at his Sydney home for a week. The diagnosis is a setback for his party, which is seeking its first election victory since 2010. Labor has been leading Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government in opinion polls in recent months. Morrison tested positive for COVID-19 in March. Morrison and Albanese came face to face on Wednesday for a televised debate. It is not immediately clear if Morrison will also isolate.