A second major party leader has tested positive for COVID-19, turning the election campaign in Ontario upside down for the past two weeks.
Both New Democrat leader Andrea Horwath and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner are self-isolating after testing positive.
But neither progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford nor Liberal leader Steven Del Duca have tested positive.
The four leaders shared the same debate stage Monday night at TVO in Toronto, their last meeting before the June 2 election.
Horwath canceled a planned campaign move in the North Thursday morning after she was about to board a chartered flight to Sault Ste. Marie and then Thunder Bay.
She felt no symptoms but had completed her daily routine test. The NDP leader planned to continue at least some of her scheduled events remotely through Thursday using Zoom.
Horwath was close with Schreiner during the 90-minute debate, which was moderated by the Star’s Althia Raj and TVO’s Steve Paikin. Both moderators feel comfortable.
Schreiner tested positive on Wednesday.
Ford’s campaign let the star know he’s doing fine.
“It’s been more than 48 hours so he’s not considered a close contact,” a campaign official said Thursday.
“He has no symptoms. He will continue to follow public health guidelines.”
Del Duca “tested negative this morning,” a Liberal campaign official said.
“He is symptom free and feels great. He wishes Mike and Andrea a speedy recovery.”
While some other campaign stops in the North may be postponed, Horwath is expected to go into quarantine for five days from Thursday.
The NDP campaign had to sink a planned trip by plane to Sandy Lake First Nation.
“Like many others in this pandemic, I tested positive for COVID-19 this morning,” tweeted Horwath, who is fully vaccinated.
“We’re doing our best to keep everyone safe. I was looking forward to seeing people in Northern Ontario. We have to make adjustments but I will continue to keep in touch with people as best as I can for sure,” she said.
Schreiner says he tested positive in a quick test on Wednesday evening after close contact with an employee.
In a statement, the Greens leader said he was “fully vaccinated and… feeling fine”.
He says he would be campaigning from home for “a couple of days” while following public health advice.
Current Ontario health regulations require people to isolate for five days after they first develop COVID-19 symptoms or test positive, whichever comes first.
