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15 MPs so far test positive for coronavirus


Published : 21 Jun 2020 10:00 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 03:52 PM

At least fifteen members of Jatiya Sangsad were infected with the deadly coronavirus so far while around one hundred staff of the JS have also been diagnosed with COVID-19, sources said. 

Considering the seriousness of the situation, coronavirus test has recently been initiated for the MPs who will participate in the next four sittings of the current budget session. Beginning on Saturday, officers and employees are also being tested every day under the special arrangement of parliament secretariat. 

Parliament sources said samples from 20 MPs, 33 officials and employees of the Parliament Secretariat and the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban were collected on Saturday. Samples from MPs were collected on Sunday as well and the collection will continue in the coming days. 

Three ministers and a state minister were among the 15 MPs who were infected with COVID-19. One of them was a former chief whip.

The infected ministers were Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing and State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. 

Among them, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah died on June 13. Mohammad Nasim, a former minister and Awami League's presidium member, died of a brain stroke after being infected with coronavirus.

Besides, former minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, president of the standing committee on Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) ministry, cricketer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, also an MP from Narail-2 constituency, Abdus Shahid, former chief whip and the MP from Moulvibazar-4 constituency, Gono Forum MP from Sylhet-2 constituency Mokabbir Khan and Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, former whip and the MP from Naogaon-2, were diagnosed with COVID-19. 

The budget session for 2020-21 fiscal year is going on amid the coronavirus pandemic. Several measures have been taken to curb the risk of COVID-19 infection during the budget session.