KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun has tested positive for Covid-19, just a day after her Cabinet colleague Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed was also announced to have tested positive.
In a statement, Rina’s office said the Women, Family and Community Development minister was confirmed to be Covid-19 positive after receiving the results of her test yesterday.
“She underwent a Covid-19 screening test at the Klinik Kesihatan Putrajaya yesterday morning,” her office at the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry said this morning in a statement on the ministry’s official Facebook page.
The test results were received last night, the statement said.
“YB Datuk Seri Rina has been admitted to the Hospital Sungai Buloh ward at 11am this morning for the hospital to carry out further monitoring and will comply with all guidelines related to Covid-19 infection that has been determined by the Health Ministry of Malaysia (KKM).
“She apologises if this matter has caused any inconvenience and anxiety to all and ask for Allah s.w.t to ease all dealings for all that are involved,” the statement added.
The statement said Rina will also ensure that the ministry would in her absence continue with works for the welfare, empowerment and development of target groups and that all operational matters of the ministry will continue as usual.
The statement did not say whether Rina was a close contact of Mustapa or if she had attended any event or meeting involving Mustapa.
Earlier today, a government official confirmed to Malay Mail that ministers in the federal government are being screened for Covid-19 after Mustapa’s positive test results, but did not disclose how many ministers were being screened.
Yesterday, Mustapa’s office said the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of economic affairs had tested positive for Covid-19 on January 9 night during a screening the same morning after arriving in Kota Baru, Kelantan from Kuala Lumpur.
In announcing his Covid-19 test results, his office also said he has since been admitted to Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II in Kota Baru and that he was in stable condition, adding that he had previously tested negative when screened on January 1 for Covid-19.
Malay Mail reported earlier today as receiving confirmation from a government source that Mustapa had attended a recent Cabinet meeting before testing positive for the infection.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told Malay Mail yesterday that contact tracing for Mustapa is already underway.
Mustapa is the second Cabinet member to have contracted Covid-19.
Last October, Islamic Affairs Minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri tested positive Covid-19, which required several other ministers including the prime minister to be quarantined as they had been at a special Cabinet meeting together.
