PL Whip Glenn Bedingfield shot down recent reports of possible positive cases being found among high-ranking government officials, during Thursday’s parliamentary session.

It was reported on Thursday in other sections of the media that multiple high-ranking government officials tested positive for COVID-19 following the announcement of the budget on Monday.

At the start of Thursday’s parliamentary session, PN Whip Robert Cutajar asked the Speaker of the House if the health authorities had approached him about this matter.

The Speaker said he is in contact with the health authorities regularly, but they never mentioned anything about this.

PL Whip Bedingfield cut in to confirm that this issue was brought to his attention but assured that no parliamentary member had tested positive after the budget.

Cutajar told Bedingfield that he did not ask about members in the government per se, it is just an issue of health. The Speaker once again assured Cutajar that he had not been contacted by the health authorities about such news.

Government sources also confirmed to The Malta Independent that no government minister has tested positive for the virus.

This newsroom can also confirm that both Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo and EU Funds Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi tested negative for the virus in recent days after attending an EU Council meeting in Brussels where the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes was present.

Wilmes tested positive for the virus last week and was today moved to ITU in Belgium to continue receiving treatment.