The Novel Coronavirus has infected over 110,000 people in the world and as of now, while more than 65,700 COVID-19 patients have recovered. But recent reports revealed that in the UK, health minister and British MP Nadine Dorries has tested positive for the new Coronavirus, joining the ranks of several politicians around the world who are going into quarantine.
On Tuesday, March 10, she said in a statement: "I can confirm I have tested positive for coronavirus... and have been self-isolating at home." After UK MP Dorries confirmed the news, it has raised concerns over other senior government figures including the British PM who have come into contact with her recently.
Top officials who are diagnosed with Coronavirus
Earlier Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi tested positive for the New Coronavirus along with an Iranian MP. The health minister announced on February 25 that he had tested positive for the COVID-19. In Iran, two lawmakers have died due to the virus- Fatemeh Rahbar and Mohammad Ali Ramazani, while rumours said even Harirchi was dead.
Seyed Mohammad Mir-Mohammadi, aged 71, was a close adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and had been a member of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council since 2007 died in Tehran hospital after being affected by the COVID-19. As per the reports, more than 20 Iranian lawmakers have been infected and isolated, including Esmail Najjar, the head of Iran's crisis management organization, after having contracted Covid-19.
The president of the European Parliament put himself into quarantine on Tuesday, as the Italian social democrat David Sassoli said that he was doing so because the Italian government had put the country under quarantine and he had visited Italy over the weekend. He mentioned that "For this reason, I have decided...as a precaution, to follow the indicated measures and to exercise my function as President from my home in Brussels."
Meanwhile, the leader of Sassoli's party back in Italy, the Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti went into quarantine late last week after tested positive for the new Coronavirus.
The French Culture Minister Franck Riester on Monday, March 9 revealed that he is affected by the virus, though he is reportedly "feeling well" in quarantine. Five COVID-19 cases have also been confirmed in the National Assembly and one of those was the conservative lawmaker Jean Luc Reitzer, who recently met with Ukrainian opposition politician Oleg Voloshyn, who has also now self-quarantined.
In Spain, Javier Ortega Smith, the secretary-general of the far-right Vox party, has tested positive. while in the UK among the members of Parliament, Labour's Alex Sobel and Lilian Greenwood put themselves into quarantine after attending a conference and John McNally, a member of the Scottish Parliament, also self-isolated after attending the same event.
In US, five Republican lawmakers have self-quarantined after coming into contact with an infected person at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, including Senator Ted Cruz and representatives Paul Gosar, Doug Collins, Matt Gaetz and Mark Meadows.
Californian Congresswoman Julia Brownley, a Democrat, has also self-isolated after she communicated with a Coronavirus patient in Washington DC, and in Canada, Montreal parliamentarian Anthony Housefather has self-isolated after attending an event where someone had Covid-19.
In February, Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga and various government officials put themselves into quarantine after a state visit to China.
