Egypt’s 12 MPs came into contact with coronavirus infected parliamentarian

At least 12 Egyptian members of parliament had come into direct contact with a parliamentarian who tested positive for the coronavirus and will undergo tests, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Soliman Wahdan told Ahram Online on Wednesday.

The infected parliamentarian, Sherine Farag, attended the last plenary session of the 596-seat assembly on 4 May, and took part in a meeting of parliament’s Budget and Planning Committee, Wahdan said in TV comments on Tuesday.

Parliament is working to trace other MPs who had come into contact with Farag and will announce the results in the next two days, Wahdan said.

He added that parliament will convene on Sunday as scheduled while taking the necessary precautionary measures. He ruled out the possibility of holding the parliamentary session via video conference due to the lack of technical capabilities for that.

Parliament resumed sessions on 29 April after more than a month of suspension over coronavirus fears.

Wahdan urged all MPs to abide by health guidelines and wear face masks before attending the House of Representatives’ meetings.

Farag, a member of the House’s African Affairs Committee, is quarantined at Cairo’s Kasr El-Einy Hospital.

An assistant professor of medical engineering, Farah is one of 28 MPs appointed to the House by presidential decree in 2015.

Egypt has reported 10,093 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 544 deaths. The country detected its first coronavirus case in mid-February.