Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been diagnosed with COVID-19, he informed in a statement, adding that he would continue his official duties while in isolation.

“I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” the statement said, according to Associated Press.

The PM further said that he would go on with his duties with heightening tensions – both domestically and globally – as he isolates himself in his residence in Sydney for a week. 

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Australia’s southeastern coast was hit by one of the worst floods in decades, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes and evacuate to safer places. Some people were left stranded on rooftops and high bridges, waiting to be rescued by authorities.

Dominic Perrottet, the Premier of Australia’s New South Wales, said that more than 6,000 calls were received from people seeking help. About 1,000 rescues were also conducted in the state alone. So far, eight people have been killed in the Australian floods, with all the fatalities being reported in Queensland.

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Perrottet further explained that 300,000 people have already been placed under evacuation warnings, signaling they also may be asked to leave their homes. 40,000 evacuations have already been ordered, according to reports from Associated Press.

On a global level, the world scrambles to find a solution for Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. In a news conference from Tuesday, the Morrison government promised $50 million in missiles, ammunition and other military hardware for Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. 

Morrison also called for Russia to be treated as a ‘pariah state’ over the invasion, adding that Moscow should be diplomatically isolated and its membership of the G20 reconsidered, as per The Guardian.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton became the first governing party lawmaker to be infected with COVID-19 during a Washington, DC, visit in March 2020. 

(Written with inputs from Associated Press)