KUALA LUMPUR – Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin has tested negative for Covid-19 despite being in close contact with Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, confirmed to have the disease, at last week’s cabinet meeting.
A ministry source said Radzi immediately went for screening and was cleared at a health facility in Putrajaya following Mustapa’s announcement yesterday that he tested positive for the coronavirus in Kota Baru on Saturday.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department has been admitted to Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital.
According to a statement issued by his office, the 70-year-old said an initial test taken on January 1 returned negative.
The Jeli MP, who got screened after landing in the Kelantan capital last weekend, is reported to be in stable condition.
Other cabinet members who attended the meeting last Wednesday have been prompted to undergo Covid-19 testing.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof and Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah are observing self-isolation as a precautionary measure.
The duo are believed to have been seated closest to Mustapa during the meeting.
Mustapa is the second minister to be infected after Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri, who is in charge of religious affairs, tested positive last October.
This led to his close contacts, including cabinet members and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, undergoing screenings and self-quarantine.
Last week, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan tested positive for the disease. – The Vibes, January 11, 2021
