Covid-19 tests mandatory for MPs attending Parliament

Parliamentarians attending the upcoming monsoon session will have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests 72-hours before their arrival in the premises.

According to the guidelines issued by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha secretariats, members of Parliament have also been advised to get their family members and personal staff, including assistants, drivers and maids, tested for Covid-19.

If any of the family members or personal staff test positive for Covid-19, the member concerned will have to undergo 14-day quarantine from the day of the last contact

Special counters have been set up at Parliament reception for members to get tested for the infectious disease using Rapid Antigen Tests.

“In case the member is found negative, he or she can attend the Session forthwith,” the guidelines state adding that if the test turns out to be negative, but the member has symptoms, he will have to undergo RT-PCR test and go for home isolation till the results are out.

To begin with, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariat staff and security personnel will undergo Covid-19 tests on Saturday at the counters set up at Parliament’s reception building.

Besides setting up testing counters, Parliament secretariats have taken adequate preparations for handling emergency situations if a member develops symptoms during the session.

Oxygen cylinders will be available at the main Parliament building and a mini-hospital of sorts is being planned in the Library Building to attend to any emergency situation.

These special measures will remain in place till October 1, when the monsoon session of Parliament is expected to conclude.

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had given directions to ensure proper caution is exercised for safety of members and other personnel in Parliament premises during the session.

Thermal guns and thermal scanners will be used for noting the body temperatures of all those entering the House. In addition, proper measures for sanitisation of the premises will be undertaken.

Touchless sanitisers will be installed at 40 spots within the House and emergency medical teams and ambulances put on the standby.