Dewan Rakyat speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun today recommended that Members of Parliament with symptoms, and have returned from areas under the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) to undergo COVID-19 screening.

He said this was as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the virus following the number of positive cases in the northern Peninsula, from the Sivagangga cluster in Kedah.

"As a preventive step to curb (COVID-19) spread, I would recommend the following groups to undergo screening. Firstly, those with symptoms or is a person under investigation (PUI), secondly persons under surveillance (PUS), thirdly those who are close contacts of positive cases.

"Fourthly, which is important, as some honourable members had returned to their respective constituencies, those who are back from the Temco, semi-EMCO and local EMCO areas, need to undergo screening before attending parliament sitting, as advised by the Health Ministry (MOH)," he said before the start of the Dewan Rakyat session today.

He also urged all whips to emphasise the matter to the MPs concerned.

Meanwhile, Azhar also informed that transparent barriers have been fully installed at each seat to enable all MPs to return to their respective seats.

"The transparent barriers are to ensure separation (between MPs) and no close contact. The use of face mask is compulsory and can only be removed when you wish to speak," he said.

--BERNAMA