Twenty-five MPs tested positive for Covid-19 in tests done
last week, but nine had already tested positive four weeks ago and have been
counted as recovered, leading MPs to worry that anti-body presence is leading to
false positives.
Matabeleland North MP Dr Ruth Labode yesterday raised a
point of privilege on Parliament’s testing and isolation policies.
“My concern is that 25 MPs tested positive and among those,
there were about nine or so who had already tested positive four weeks ago and
isolated,” she said.
Parliament guidelines require that MPs be tested after
every two weeks and those who test positive, will immediately go into isolation
for 14 days.
Dr Labode argued that some people who would have earlier
tested positive will likely retain a positive result because of the presence of
anti-bodies in their systems even though they were no longer infected or
infectious and she argued that there was no need to continue isolating such
people .
Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda confirmed that 25
MPs had tested positive during last week’s round of testing including those who
had tested positive before.
“We have decided that all those who test positive be
isolated out of abundance of caution and we will continue following up on them
and assisting them,” he said.
The first two legislators to test positive were diagnosed
in July and Parliament immediately suspended business for a month and only
resumed sitting last week, with the testing of all MPs.
The National Assembly yesterday passed the
Attorney-General’s Office Amendment Bill now awaiting debate in Senate.
The Bill seeks to provide for the appointment of deputy
Attorneys-General in line with the Constitution to enhance the effectiveness
and efficiency of the Attorney-General’s office.
The Bill also sets out the composition of the AG’s Office
Board, which shall be chaired by the AG and bars Government departments from
seeking legal advice from private practice without approval from the AG since
the AG is the Government’s principal legal adviser in terms of the
Constitution.
All legal advisers working for different ministries and
departments will fall under the supervision of the AG’s Office in line with his
constitutional mandate as the principal Government legal adviser. Herald
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