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ABC News
ABC News
Health
political reporter Jake Evans

Prime Minister met with Ukrainians, flood-affected Queenslanders and cabinet ministers in days before his COVID infection

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was showing COVID-19 symptoms at a press conference yesterday. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Like almost 3 million Australians before him, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has COVID.

But there are some additional complications when the leader of the nation catches the disease.

With a war in Ukraine, deadly floods in Queensland and NSW and an ongoing pandemic, it isn't easy for the PM to just step back and take a break.

With meetings and trips making up part of the job of prime minister, there have also been plenty of people possibly exposed to COVID by Mr Morrison.

Already, one of Mr Morrison's colleagues, who he recently attended functions with, has tested positive for COVID.

So who has the Prime Minister been in close contact with in recent days, and what happens for him in the week ahead?

Close quarters with cabinet, Ukrainians and flood-affected Queenslanders

Earlier yesterday, the Prime Minister attended a National Security Committee meeting with fellow cabinet ministers.

The NSC is made up of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Defence Minister Peter Dutton, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews and Attorney-General Michaelia Cash.

Heads of public service departments, the chief of defence and occasionally other ministers can also be invited to attend NSC meetings, though who attends is not always made public.

While others attended the three-hour meeting remotely, Mr Frydenberg, Mr Dutton, Ms Andrews and Special Minister of State Ben Morton attended in person.

Mr Morton today said he tested positive to COVID-19 this morning.

Mr Dutton and Mr Frydenberg both said they received negative rapid tests this morning — the pair have had COVID before, as has Mr Joyce.

On Sunday morning, Mr Morrison was in Sydney, where he attended his local church service in Sutherland, and then a liturgy for Ukraine at St Andrews Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lidcombe alongside his wife Jenny, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and Mr Morton.

Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny met with Ukrainian Australians at a church service on Sunday.

That afternoon, Mr Morrison flew to Queensland where he visited flood-affected parts of Brisbane including an emergency services complex in the northern Brisbane suburb of Kedron and spoke alongside Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The Prime Minister stayed in Brisbane the next day where he paid a visit to Brisbane's Lord Mayor and to the defence force personnel helping with flood recovery at the Gallipoli Barracks.

He then came to Canberra for yesterday's NSC meeting.

Can the Prime Minister still do his duties?

Mr Morrison is now in isolation at Kirribilli House, the Prime Minister's residence in Sydney.

Currently, Sydneysiders infected with COVID are required to self-isolate for a week upon returning a positive test result, meaning he will be out by Tuesday evening, March 8.

Mr Morrison said in a statement he had flu-like symptoms and a fever but was committed to working through his infection.

Whether he will be able to keep all his commitments is another matter.

As late as yesterday afternoon, Mr Morrison had intended to be at the Sydney Opera House for a night-time Ukraine vigil, which he was forced to cancel.

The Prime Minister was scheduled to speak on foreign policy at the Lowy Institute tomorrow, but that has been postponed, and it is unclear whether that or a scheduled address to the Australian Financial Review's business summit will go ahead.

If Mr Morrison gets sicker and is forced to step back from his duties, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce would be acting PM.

Where did the PM catch COVID?

As anyone who has had COVID knows, it is pretty tricky to pin down where you might have caught it from.

Given the Prime Minister has spent time with so many people in the last few days, it is unlikely he will ever know who he caught it from.

But it appears Mr Morrison was concerned he may have COVID from at least Sunday, when his office says he developed a minor cough.

Mr Morrison met with federal and state officials and with ordinary Australians in the days before his infection. (ABC News)

Mr Morrison was showing symptoms at a 1pm press conference yesterday, where he was coughing as he stood beside Mr Dutton and spoke to the press.

But it wasn't until he took a PCR test yesterday evening and received results a little less than six hours later that Mr Morrison's infection was confirmed.

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