Twenty-three members of Iran’s 290-member “Majlis” or parliament have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Abdul Reza Misri.

That's about about 8% of all members of parliament.

Misri made the announcement while speaking to reporters in Tehran today, citing an open letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, on February 16. Credit: Youssef Badawi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

In the letter, MPs were also called on to halt contact with the public to avoid further spread of the disease.

Larijani also advocated for a continuance of the suspension of open sessions in parliament in his open letter to Khamenei, which was enacted last week amid Iran’s growing outbreak.