MOSCOW: The spreading grip of novel coronavirus has reached to Russian Prime Minister and Pakistani Speaker adding them in the list of high officials to suffer from the pandemic that has affected many including British Prince Charles, PM Boris Johnson.
According to the sources, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin informed President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that he had been diagnosed positive with the new pandemic and was temporarily stepping down to recover.
First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will serve as acting Prime Minister in his absence. PM Mishustin, 54, himself had proposed Deputy PM Belousov to serve as acting prime minister in his absence. Putin wishing Mishustin a speedy recovery agreed with the proposed replacement.
Mishustin, who was appointed PM by Putin in January, is the first high-ranking Russian official to publicly inform he is suffering from the pandemic.
According to the PM’s spokesman Boris Belyakov, Mishustin will spend his self-isolation period at a hospital under the supervision of doctors.
Russia’s nationwide tally of confirmed coronavirus cases surged past 106498 and the pandemic toll is 1073 till Friday.
The world’s largest country by territory, Russia has been on lockdown since Putin announced the closure of most public spaces in late March to limit the scope for the virus to spread.
Similarly, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan confirmed Thursday he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I have tested positive for the coronavirus and put myself in self-quarantine at home,” Asad Qaiser tweeted as he requested the nation pray for his recovery.
Qaiser’s son and daughter also tested positive for the virus, according to local media.
The speaker of the lower house had symptoms, including a fever, for a few days but tested negative, said Geo News.
He met April 24 with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Khan tested negative April 22 for the virus after being tested a day after the head of the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan’s top non-governmental relief agency, Faisal Edhi, tested positive for COVID-19.
A week earlier, Faisal Edhi had met Khan to donate 10 million Pakistani rupees ($61,162) for the government’s coronavirus relief fund in Islamabad.
According to worldometers Pakistan has 16,817 confirmed cases and 383 deaths caused by COVID-19.
(With input from agencies)
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