875 staff members of Parliament tests positive for Covid-19

|HT|

Ahead of the Parliament’s Budget Session that starts on January 31, at least 875 staff members of the House, as well as Rajya Sabha chairperson and Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, have tested positive for Covid-19, the Parliament secretariate said. Naidu has self-isolated for a week 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 isolate themselves and get tested,” Naidu’s secretariat said in a tweet on Sunday. This is the second time Naidu has tested positive for the virus.

Before the Budget Session, 2,847 tests were conducted at the Parliament complex and the 875 staff members tested positive.

A call is expected to be made whether Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament will sit simultaneously or in different shifts in view of a spike in the Covid-19 cases.

The Budget Session will be held from January 31 to April 8 with a nearly month-long recess after the first half. The Union budget will be presented on February 1 and the President will address a joint sitting of both Houses.

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