KUALA LUMPUR – Another four Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Parliament yesterday and today, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun.
He announced this after Datuk Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin (Hang Tuah Jaya-PH) requested the special sitting to be extended past 5.30pm daily to allow lawmakers to debate.
“We have already gone against the health director-general’s advice. If we were to follow his advice, we will have to dismiss at 2pm because he is worried of the spread of Covid-19 in Parliament.
“There are already four cases detected yesterday and today. The risk is quite high, that is why I have set it to 5.30pm to give an opportunity for all to debate.”
The decision to extend the sitting is also under the purview of Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, he added.
“If the minister (Takiyuddin) would like to consider it, I’ll leave it to him.”
On July 24, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Bagan Datuk-BN), Datuk Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal-BN) and Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz (Bachok-PAS) all tested positive for Covid-19, just days before the special parliamentary sitting.
On the first day of the sitting, Azhar confirmed that two MPs and 12 Parliament staff have been infected, while another five or six parliamentarians and 58 staff are under home-quarantine. – The Vibes, July 28, 2021
