After Covid-19 cases emerged, Dewan Rakyat to have shorter sessions until Thursday

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 3): Parliament will adjourn earlier at 1pm, instead of the usual 5.30pm, until Thursday (Nov 5) after the Lower House agreed to a motion to end sessions earlier following news that a few people working at the Parliament building, including an auxiliary policeman, was infected by the coronavirus.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan tabled a motion under the Parliamentary Standing Order 12 (1) for daily sittings to end at 1pm from today until Thursday, which was passed by Dewan Rakyat.

Takiyuddin also filed a motion to start the Special Chamber's meetings earlier at 11.30am from today to Thursday, in line with Article 16(6) of the Parliament Standing Orders.

Datuk Mahfuz Omar (Pakatan Harapan-Pokok Sena) then sought more information about the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) announcement yesterday concerning the infected policeman working at the Parliament building, namely who else was infected and whether they were on the premises.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun then clarified that the policeman was from the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), but was not stationed at the Parliament building or the PMD.

Yesterday, the ministry announced that six individuals at the Parliament building had tested positive for Covid-19.

They were the policeman, three others who had close contact with him, a special aide to Senator Ras Adiba Radzi and a member of the press.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a Covid-19 screening was carried out on all Members of Parliament (MPs) and Parliament staff three days before Dewan Rakyat began, where the aide, who is also Ras Adiba’s sister, tested positive for the coronavirus.

"For the senator's assistant [who was confirmed] positive, we have actually identified 12 close contacts [of the assistant]. We have quarantined all of them as we are waiting for their results," said Noor Hisham.

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