Although the reported cases of Covid-19 have shown a significant downtrend recently, that does not mean we are all completely safe from the virus.
Bangi’s Member of Parliament (MP), Ong Kian Ming shared on his Twitter account yesterday (11 October) and revealed that he has been tested positive for Covid-19. According to his post, he was in Parliament yesterday where he conducted a Covid-19 self-test at 3.30pm and was confirmed positive for the virus an hour later by a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
In the Twitter thread, Ong confirmed that he tested negative last week in Parliament, so he does not know how he actually contracted the virus.
“We have to accept that this virus is endemic. The testing protocols in parliament shows that we can continue to work & operate normally,” he emphasized.
In the meantime, Ong revealed that he showed no symptoms prior to the test and he is currently undergoing home quarantine for a period of 10 days. He also highlighted the significance of taking the vaccines especially among the hesitant ones, the undocumented migrants, as well as the teenagers.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun had also confirmed that so far, no individual in Parliament grounds has tested positive for the virus.
According to BERNAMA, as part of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), everyone present in Parliament, including house members and staff are now required to undergo compulsory RTK Antigen Salive test randomly every Monday and Wednesday. This is to curb the spread of Covid-19 and to ensure that the Dewan Rakyat sittings can proceed safely.
It is important for us to comply with the SOPs under any circumstances as the transition into the endemic phase does not mean we are completely safe from the virus.