(Bloomberg) --
Australia's opposition Labor Party has been forced to undertake a last-minute shake up of its election campaign after leader Anthony Albanese announced he had been diagnosed with Covid-19 on Thursday night.
Albanese said he had returned a positive result on a routine PCR test in a statement on Thursday, and that he would isolate in his home in Sydney for seven days, as required by Australian law.
“While at home I will continue my responsibilities as alternative Prime Minister and will be fighting for a better future for all Australians,” Albanese said.
Australians are due to vote in a national election on May 21, where the incumbent center-right Liberal National coalition government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison will make its case for a fourth term in office. The government is currently trailing Labor in opinion polling, but the gap has narrowed since the start of the campaign.
Labor strategists had been concerned about the possibility of Albanese catching Covid-19 ahead of the election, given his frantic campaigning across multiple Australian states. His opponent Morrison was already diagnosed with the virus in early March, giving him an advantage as the two leaders headed into the six-week election campaign.
Speaking on Friday, Morrison said he wished Albanese a speedy recovery and that he had sent him some tips on how to deal with the symptoms of Covid-19.
In the wake of Albanese's diagnosis, Labor has announced members of its leadership team, including deputy Labor leader Richard Marles and shadow Foreign Minister Penny Wong, will be filling in for their leader while he is in isolation. Albanese himself is planning to keep campaigning from his home over the course of the week, although the details haven't been announced yet.
Speaking on Friday morning, Labor campaign spokesman and shadow minister Jason Clare said Albanese had “a bit of a croaky throat” but that he saw it as an “opportunity.”
“It's inevitable that people will get Covid if they're out and about. We expected that Albo would likely get COVID. I see this an opportunity, I got to say. Not only do we have a better plan, we have a better team,” he said.
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