Second Parliament official tests positive, annexe to be sanitised

The official had been going to work until May 12 on the fifth floor of the Parliament annex building, which is about 100 metres away from the main Parliament building.

A senior Parliament official working in editorial and translation (E&T) services has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), people familiar with the matter said.

A senior Parliament official working in editorial and translation (E&T) services has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), people familiar with the matter said. (File photo for representation)

The official had been going to work until May 12 on the fifth floor of the Parliament annex building, which is about 100 metres away from the main Parliament building.

This is the second case of a Parliament staffer testing positive for Covid-19. A senior housekeeper tested positive last month. Unlike the housekeeper, the E and T official had attended his office regularly before he was sent into quarantine, the people cited above said.

The case, according to one official, was reported on Thursday and since Friday morning, arrangements were being made for sealing a block of offices on the fifth floor of the annex. Thorough sanitization of the entire building is being undertaken, but the functioning of the Parliament secretariat is not expected to be disrupted.

Efforts are also on to identify people who have worked with the official and to keep them under observation.

Last month, when government offices reopened at the end of lockdown 2.0, the Parliament secretariat too opened with just one-third of its staff and strict health norms in place.