Repeat RT-PCR tests for legislators, mandatory tests for government officials visiting parliament, and daily antigen tests for reporters and parliament officials – these are part of the stricter safety standards that are have hastily implemented after more Members of Parliament (MP), who attended the ongoing monsoon session, tested positive for the coronavirus disease.
The changes came after the Union’s tourism and culture minister Prahlad Patel and Rajya Sabha senior deputy Vinay Sahasrabuddhe of the BJP tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, a day after the Minister of Transport, Nitin Gadkari. All three tested negative in gold standard RT-PCR tests over the weekend, and experts said their positive tests point to the need to repeat the tests frequently, as lawmakers attending the current session of Parliament wear masks and maintain social distancing even when out and about. of the house.
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Parliament officials said lawmakers would be encouraged to undergo a new round of RT-PCR tests and that more intensive remediation of the Parliament building and chambers is underway. All three leaders attended Parliament before testing positive. They also didn’t rule out a shorter-than-planned monsoon session if more lawmakers who attended test positive.
“Formal instructions for MPs (on testing) have not yet been issued, as we see that many of them are already taking a repeat RT-PCR test on their own. The speaker’s office has already clarified that a legislator is free to take as many tests as he wants, ”said a senior official involved in the security of Parliament.
An internal Lok Sabha circular, reviewed by HT, said that ministry officials who want to come to the Official Gallery must show a negative RT-PCR test report taken “no more than 72 hours prior to their visit to the Casa del Parliament”.
The gallery is right next to the front row of the treasury banks and various ministry officials sit there to help their ministers when there is a debate related to their department.
Both Rajya Sabha President Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha President Om Birla hastily consulted various experts and legislators before adjusting current Covid security protocols. The three new cases involving deputies have left both presidents concerned and led to a new set of stricter rules.
Read also: Delhi Chief Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia Tests Positive for Covid-19
Parliament has also forced officials who deal with parliamentarians and the public to perform daily rapid antigen tests. Results from these are typically available in 15-20 minutes versus a minimum of 5-6 hours for RT-PCR testing. However, they are not that accurate.
The circular added: “Officials who are issued a general entry pass must carry / show their rapid antigen report (negative) by the same day as their visit to Parliament House.”
Journalists entering Parliament will also have to undergo daily antigen tests.
Patel said on Twitter Thursday morning: “My Covid report was positive last night. Those who met me on Tuesday must remain cautious. “
Similarly, Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, took to Twitter to announce: “Last Friday I was tested and negative, therefore I attended Parliament! But last night I had a headache + mild fever, they examined me and I tested positive for Covid-19! . “
Senior officials declined to rule out a reduction in the monsoon session if cases continue to rise in both houses. A senior official told HT on Thursday: “That is always an option. But we also have to think about how to balance the fact that, on the one hand, we keep all services open, such as subway tracks, shops, buses, but we closed the session ourselves ”.
The monsoon session, which was delayed for two months due to the pandemic, began on September 14 after all legislators, officials and journalists covering the session were screened for Covid-19. He also saw unprecedented arrangements, including one House deputies spread across both Houses of Parliament to maintain social distancing, sheets of Plexiglas separating the seats, a sit-and-talk order, and the two Houses working in shifts.
With all three deputies, so far, 32 lawmakers have tested positive since the end of last week.
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