Scotland's first minister has urged Margaret Ferrier to resign as an MP after she travelled from Glasgow to London with Covid-19 symptoms, then returned home after testing positive.
Nicola Sturgeon, who is also the SNP leader, said she had "made clear her view" to Ms Ferrier that she should "do the right thing" and step down.
Ms Ferrier has been suspended by the SNP, but cannot be sacked as an MP.
She has apologised and said she "deeply regretted" her actions.
In a tweet sent on Friday morning, Ms Sturgeon said Ms Ferrier was a "friend and colleague" and she had asked her to step down "with a heavy heart".
She added: "Her actions were dangerous and indefensible. I have no power to force an MP to resign but I hope she will do the right thing."
The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West said she had experienced "mild symptoms" on Saturday and was tested for coronavirus. However, she decided to travel by train to Westminster on Monday before getting her result because she was "feeling much better".
She spoke for four minutes in the Commons chamber during a coronavirus debate - tweeting a video of her speech - but was told later that evening that she had tested positive for the virus.
Despite this, Ms Ferrier took a train back to Scotland on Tuesday, with SNP whips in the Commons being told about her positive test on Wednesday.
It is understood she had initially told the party she was going home because a family member was unwell.
A spokesman for the party said: "The SNP's chief whip immediately informed parliament authorities.
"The SNP only became aware on Thursday that Ms Ferrier had been tested prior to travelling to London and had travelled back to Glasgow, knowing that she had a positive result."
SNP sources have been reported as saying that party leader Nicola Sturgeon was only told on Thursday afternoon - after she faced opposition leaders at first minister's questions in the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Ferrier's actions became public when she tweeted an apology at about 18:00 on Thursday.
SNP sources initially said they would await the result of a police investigation into her actions before deciding whether or not she would be suspended.
But the party announced her suspension about an hour later, with Ms Sturgeon subsequently tweeting that the MP's actions had been "indefensible".
One person has been identified as a close contact of Ms Ferrier's and is now self-isolating, parliamentary authorities said.
Police Scotland confirmed they had been contacted by Ms Ferrier, saying officers were "looking into the circumstances" and liaising with the Metropolitan Police Service.
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Ms Ferrier could face a £4,000 fine for a first-time offence of coming into contact with others when she should have been self-isolating under a law that came into force on the day of her positive test.
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, told BBC Breakfast that Ms Ferrier had broken the law and should therefore "reflect very carefully on whether she can continue as a Member of Parliament for her constituents".
He said: "Nobody is above the law, nobody is above the regulations" and added: "I am calling on Margaret to do the right thing."
Glasgow East MP David Linden, one of Ms Ferrier's former SNP colleagues, earlier told BBC Question Time that she "should resign" as an MP.
SNP MPs Kirsty Blackman and Stephen Flynn have also called for her to step down.
It is quite clear senior figures in the SNP now think Margaret Ferrier should quit Parliament.
I'm told Ms Ferrier has been left in no doubt about Nicola Sturgeon's view that she needs to quit Parliament after a call this morning.
It's worth highlighting the SNP didn't initially suspend her. A senior source told me they'd wait until the police had investigated before making a decision.
The party has also faced questions about why it didn't probe Ms Ferrier more after she revealed she had tested positive on Wednesday.
They say it only became clear she had travelled with symptoms and a positive result yesterday.
But the anger at Westminster and beyond means there is no way back for Ms Ferrier in the SNP. She is under huge pressure to quit - but at the moment that decision is hers alone.
Ms Ferrier was one of the MPs who called on the prime minister's adviser Dominic Cummings to resign in the wake of the controversy over his visit to the North East of England during lockdown.
At the time, she said his actions had "undermined the sacrifices that we have all been making in lockdown to protect each other from coronavirus" and described his position as "untenable".
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Ms Ferrier's "reckless" actions had put the lives of other people at risk, and has questioned the SNP's timeline of events.
Mr Ross said: "The SNP say they only found out about any wrongdoing on Thursday. That means we're supposed to accept that the SNP found out Margaret Ferrier tested positive on Wednesday - and asked nothing.
"The public is expected to believe SNP bosses didn't think to ask a single question, not one, about when she tested positive, where she had been or who she had been around, despite her appearance in the Commons earlier that week.
"The SNP's timeline is full of holes and any reasonable person can see that."
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Shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray also demanded answers from the SNP to the "very serious questions" surrounding the behaviour of Ms Ferrier.
In a letter to Mr Blackford, the Scottish Labour MP wrote: "We are faced with catastrophic, negligent actions by an MP which have put lives at risk.
"You and your party's slow response leaves much to be desired, and the party must come forward with a full and clear explanation. Commons staff and the wider public deserve nothing less."
Ms Ferrier won the Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat from Labour in the 2019 general election with a majority of 5,230.
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2020-10-02 09:58:54Z
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