KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is undergoing self-quarantine starting today after coming into close contact with a Covid-19 patient.
In a brief statement, his office today said due to this, Ismail Sabri will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of his cabinet ministers and deputy ministers this afternoon.
The ceremony is to take place at Istana Negara before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at 2.30pm.
For tomorrow’s National Day parade at Dataran Pahlawan Negara in Putrajaya, Ismail Sabri will only be present virtually.
However, his National Day address scheduled for 9pm tonight will carry on, a spokesman from his office confirmed in a brief message to the press.
Ismail Sabri was just sworn in as the country’s ninth prime minister last Sunday, after his predecessor, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, resigned from the post following the loss of majority support.
Last Friday, he revealed his cabinet line-up, which largely comprises familiar faces from Muhyiddin’s administration.
Ismail Sabri was initially scheduled to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his ministers and deputies today.
His quarantine also means that he will not be able to attend other government meetings, including the daily National Recovery Council meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation and related issues.
The prime minister also typically meets the Yang di-Pertuan Agong every Wednesday morning for his weekly audience, before chairing the cabinet meeting. – The Vibes, August 30, 2021
