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75% rise in Parliament Covid-19 cases over 3 days; 718 test positive
While most officials testing positive are asymptomatic, authorities are concerned about the prevalence of the infection ahead of the crucial budget session, scheduled to start on January 31.
At least 700 parliament officials have tested positive for Covid-19 since December 4, a senior Rajya Sabha official said on Wednesday. According to data compiled by HT, this indicates a rise of nearly 75% in cases reported from Parliament house complex since January 9.
Till January 9 ( from the first week of December), nearly 400 cases were reported from the complex. While most officials testing positive are asymptomatic, authorities are concerned about the prevalence of the infection ahead of the crucial budget session, scheduled to start on January 31.
“718 have tested positive in Parliament house complex since December 4. These include 204 people in the Rajya Sabha secretariat. Rest of the cases were reported from the Lok Sabha secretariat and allied services,” the official cited above added.
“RS chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has reviewed the situation with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the secretary generals of both Houses have been asked to explore options on how the budget session can be conducted amid this third surge in Covid-19 cases,” the official added.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have asked a third of their staff to work from home, officials familiar with the matter said. That includes half of the officials and staff below the rank of undersecretary/executive officers. All of them will work from home till the end of January.
A Lok Sabha circular also directed officers visiting Parliament to maintain a staggered working schedule to avoid crowding. “The working hours of all employees who attend office may be staggered between 10 am to 10.30 am with corresponding office exit timings to avoid rush in commuting as also in lifts and corridors,” it said. HT has reviewed a copy of the circular.
HT reported on Wednesday that authorities are exploring several options including a staggered timetable for Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and a highly dispersed seating arrangement for the MPs for the upcoming session.
“We are looking at various options, but the final option would depend on the Covid-19 situation towards the end of this month. The Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman will meet around January 25 or 26 to decide how to run the session,” said a top-ranking functionary.
Officials are also not sure if this session will run its normal course. A top functionary said the elections in five states is another key factor that might ultimately lead to a curtailed session.
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