New Delhi: A total of 875 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 so far in the House ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament, official sources said on Sunday.
Official sources said that 2,847 Covid-19 tests were conducted till January 20, out of which 875 parliamentary staff members had tested positive.
A total of 915 tests were conducted by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, out of which 271 cases were found positive against COVID-19.
Earlier in the day, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu also tested positive for Covid-19 in Hyderabad.
“The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is in Hyderabad, tested COVID positive today. He has decided to remain in self-isolation for a week. He has advised all those who came in contact with him to self-isolate and get tested,” tweeted the Vice President of India’s office.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has banned the presence of officers and employees.
As per the instructions, about 50 per cent of the officers and employees below the rank of Under Secretary or Executive Officer are required to work from home till the end of this month.
In addition, people with disabilities and pregnant women are exempted from coming to the office.
As per the latest order, the opening and closing timings of the Secretariat are different to avoid overcrowding.
The budget session of Parliament, which begins in a week, is likely to be held with strict Kovid protocol in view of the increasing cases in the country.
The budget session will begin on January 31 and end on April 8.
The monsoon session in 2020 was the first plenary session under the COVID-19 protocol, with the Rajya Sabha meeting during the first half of the day and the Lok Sabha during the second half.
This was also followed for the first part of the budget session during 2021.
Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha returned to normal time for the second part of the session last year.
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