Australia’s minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton, has announced that he has contracted coronavirus. The senior Australian official said that he has been hospitalized.

In a statement posted to his official Twitter page, Dutton explained that he was tested for COVID-19 after waking up with a “temperature and sore throat.”

Dutton was hospitalized after the test returned positive. The minister said that he “feels fine” and will provide updates as they become available.

Australia will ban all public gatherings of more than 500 people starting on Monday, as the government attempts to stop toe spread of the highly contagious disease.

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The development prompted Prime Minister Scott Morrision to call a closed meeting with all state Premiers following the Health Ministry recommendation.

The news comes a day after American actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson disclosed that they caught the illness while working on a film in Australia.

As of Friday, Australia has at least 156 confirmed cases, and three deaths, according to the country's health ministry.

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