by ANIS HAZIM / pic by BERNAMA

HEALTH DG Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had proposed for the current Parliament sitting to be shortened to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

During a coordination meeting for matters related to the special Parliament session on July 26,  the Health DG also suggested that the number of physical attendance be reduced, taking into account the country’s Covid-19 situation.

“To ensure the special session of Parliament to run smoothly, all individuals must follow the existing standard operating procedures (SOPs), rules and regulations,” Dr Noor Hisham said in a statement today.

A total of 56 Covid-19 positive cases were detected in Parliament as of yesterday, out of 2,093 individuals tested in from July 21 until July 25.

Out of the 56 cases, two were members of the parliament, six were escort officers while the remaining were 48 officers from various government agencies.

“According to investigations and risk assessments, the positive cases do not have epidemiological correlations with one another,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

According to him, 39 cases or 69.6% of the overall positive cases were unvaccinated and have yet to receive two-dose vaccinations.

He added that individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 are prohibited from attending the Parliament session.

“As of July 28, four close contacts have been confirmed positive for Covid-19 and have not been present since the first day of the sitting and are being monitored by the health authorities,” he said.

According to Dr Noor Hisham, there has been no detection of Covid-19 transmission in Parliament, based on the risk assessment conducted by the Health Ministry (MoH).

MoH also reminded that each individual must be responsible in complying with the SOP and to adopt the new normal.