The Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi is being treated for pneumonia in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. Qureshi, the shadow international development minister, said she was admitted to the Royal Bolton hospital on Saturday after her condition deteriorated. The 57-year-old MP for Bolton South East said she had started to feel unwell two weeks ago before testing positive for Covid-19. She had been self-isolating for 10 days before feeling “much worse” on Saturday. She said in a statement on social media: “Two weeks ago, I began to feel unwell. I then tested positive for Covid-19, so my family and I immediately self-isolated at home. I have not travelled to Westminster or anywhere else. “I continued to work as best I could remotely, attending virtual meetings and doing casework, but after 10 days, I began to feel much worse and on Saturday I was admitted to the Royal Bolton hospital with pneumonia. “I’m being very well looked after and have nothing but praise and admiration for the wonderful staff at the hospital. They have been amazing throughout the process and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone working here in such difficult circumstances.”
Qureshi has represented Bolton South East for a decade and was a shadow justice minister under Jeremy Corbyn from 2016 until April, when she was appointed to her current role by Keir Starmer. Qureshi has continued to work while self-isolating at home in Bolton, asking written questions of the Department for Education on Thursday and Friday last week. She spoke briefly to the Guardian on Wednesday but was too unwell to continue the phone call. MPs from across the political divide wished Qureshi a speedy recovery. Starmer tweeted: “My thoughts are with my friend @YasminQureshiMP who has been admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with Covid-19. My thanks go to the staff caring for Yasmin at the Royal Bolton hospital, along with NHS staff across the country who are on the frontline against Covid-19.” The Conservative MP Angela Richardson said: “Very sorry to hear of the hospitalisation of @YasminQureshiMP due to Covid-19. My thoughts with her and her family and friends for a speedy recovery.” Linda Thomas, the mayor of Bolton council, added: “Sorry to hear you are in hospital @YasminQureshiMP Hope you improve soon. Thinking about you. Take care!” Like many other MPs, Qureshi cancelled her weekly constituency surgeries in March and has not been meeting constituents face to face. She told the Guardian in June there was a “serious and genuine concern” among many MPs from a black, Asian or minority ethnic background about working in the Commons: “When I’ve been talking to some of my BAME colleagues, they’re really worried. They’re worrying about being forced to turn up at parliament because BAME communities are at the highest risk. Somebody literally said, it’s gonna kill us off. “Maybe they were saying it for dramatic purposes, half in jest, but I think it’s fair to say that there is serious and genuine concern among MPs that they will get infected and spread it on to their families.”