Iran’s deputy chairman of parliament announced on Tuesday, March 3 that 23 MPs out of the 290-member chamber have tested positive for the coronavirus, days after suspending sessions, the Middle East Eye reports.

According to BBC Persian, the lawmakers may have been infected due to their contact with their constituents across the country, which has reported the highest number of cases outside China, where the virus originated in January.

In total, 77 people have died and 2,336 have been infected by the coronavirus, Iran's Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said in an announcement on state TV on Tuesday.