ISLAMABAD: Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus as the government relaxed virus curbs after the cases started declining in the country.

"I have tested positive for Covid-19 and have isolated myself at home as per advice by medics," he tweeted.

"I request all friends and family who have recently met me to quarantine also. I need your prayers and blessings in this crucial time," he added.

Mandviwalla is the latest among several prominent politicians to have contracted the virus.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid, tested positive and recovered, earlier this year.

The country has registered nearly 310,000 coronavirus infections, with 6,451 deaths during the pandemic.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020