Román De Jesús (PRM-Monte Plata) shocked his colleagues when he used his turn to speak during the Wednesday, 26 May 2021 session of the Chamber of Deputies to announce he had just been notified he had Covid-19.
“I want to announce, to tell you that we must take care of ourselves, the issue is more delicate than we imagine. At this moment, we tested positive to the coronavirus. We were just notified; let’s take care of ourselves, we are leaving, but this is serious”, the legislator announced.
He urged his colleagues to take care. He said there are 13 deputies infected, and with him now there were 14. “Take the test, I took it yesterday, there is a resurgence,” he said before leaving.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco had announced during the session that 13 deputies had tested positive. He said that all deputies would be tested on Thursday, 27 May 2021.
On Tuesday, the Chamber had confirmed the names of the other 13 deputies that have tested positive. These are:
Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM): Eliazer Matos Féliz, Ignacio Aracena, Kenia Felicia Bidó Parra, Luis Gómez Benzón of the PRM.
Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD): José Francisco López Chávez.
Dominican Liberation Party (PLD): Luis Rafael Sánchez Rosario and Luis René Fernández Tavárez, Josefa Mejía, Magda Alina Altagracia Rodríguez Azcona, Plutarco Pérez, Ramón Mayobanex Martínez and Ruddy María Méndez.
Alianza Pais: José Horacio Rodríguez Grullón of Alianza País.
In addition, more than 50 employees are on leave after testing positive to Covid-19.
Deputy Román de Jesús has recently been very active against building a mining tailings dam in his province.
During the day’s session, the Chamber of Deputies had approved a 45-day National State of Emergency extension requested by the Presidency. The extension had already passed in the Senate. It returned to the Presidency for enactment. It will extend the state of exception through the middle of July. The Presidency would enact the extension on the same 26 May 2021.
There is a spike of Covid-19 cases in Greater Santo Domingo. On 25 May, the Presidency had announced an extension of curfew hours bringing these to 8pm to 5am, with three-hour free transit in the National District and Santo Domingo province. Likewise, the sale and consumption of alcohol in public places is banned from 5pm to 5am for the next two weeks. The measures seek to reduce people gatherings to slow the pace of the spread of the virus.
Read more:
Listin Diario
El Nuevo Diario
N Digital
Z Digital
Z Digital
El Caribe
26 May 2021