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Parliament to function despite MPs testing positive

27 Jan 2022

 
  • Notes all MPs triple-vaccinated 
  • Speaker confirms situ not too serious to warrant closure
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera Despite several Government and Opposition Parliamentarians having tested positive for Covid-19 during the past few days, there will not be a closure of the Parliament due to the matter, The Morning learnt. A total of eight MPs including a Cabinet Minister and two State Ministers have tested positive for Covid-19. Accordingly, when contacted by The Morning to query whether there will be any closure of the Parliament due to the matter, Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday (26) that the situation is not serious enough to warrant a closure of the Parliament. “We have no plan to close the Parliament, because that is not something that is necessary. Nothing more than 10 to 15 persons have been involved in this situation. We will see how it goes, but I don’t think that the effect is too serious for the Parliament to be closed,” explained Abeywardena. Claiming that the Parliament had taken all possible steps to prevent the MPs from getting infected with the disease, Abeywardena said that several MPs, however, have contracted it. He said: “We have done all that is possible to prevent the spread of Covid-19. All three doses of the Covid-19 vaccines have been given to all the MPs. In spite of that, this has happened.” Last week, it was reported that Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Government (SLPP) MPs Amarakeerthi Athukorala, Sarathi Dushmantha and Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda, and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Opposition MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna Kavirathna and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam had tested positive for Covid-19. In addition, Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply Facilities, and Boats and Shipping Industry Development State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera and Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments, and Motor Car Industry State Minister and Community Police Services State Minister Dilum Amunugama have also contracted Covid-19.  


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