Kuwait: Five MPs test positive for COVID-19

All MPs to be tested on September 19; parliament session postponed

Dubai: The Kuwaiti parliament’s session, which was supposed to be held on Tuesday, has been postponed for a week as at least five members of parliament have tested positive for coronavirus, local media reported on Monday.

“Not all MPs have been tested yet,” Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim wrote on his Twitter account.

Tuesday’s session has been postponed as a precautionary measure against further spread of the virus, Al Ghanim said, adding that all parliament members will be tested on Saturday.

The parliament’s previous sessions were held for three consecutive days in which it was “clear there was some kind of outbreak,” the Speaker added.

Health authorities decided to wait until Saturday in order to confirm if any parliament staff or members have also contracted the virus.

Some MPs, however, requested the session be held in the presence of “healthy” individuals. The Speaker said even those who may seem healthy and test negative on Monday could be carriers of the virus “because a certain period of time” must pass from the time of contact with an infected individual.