India News | Odisha MLAs to Undergo COVID-19 Test Ahead of Assembly Session
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. All legislators and staffers of the Odisha Assembly will have to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test two days before the commencement of the next session of the House due later this month, an official said on Monday.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 7 (PTI) All legislators and staffers of the Odisha Assembly will have to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test two days before the commencement of the next session of the House due later this month, an official said on Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Speaker S N Patro.
Also Read | Crime Against Women: 'Hand Grenade' Comes to Rescue in Varanasi.
"RT-PCR tests of all MLAs and employees of the Assembly will be conducted, and those who test negative for the disease will be allowed to participate in the proceedings," Patro said.
A special counter will be set up on the Assembly premises for collection of samples of the legislators and the officials, he said.
Also Read | Kohinoor Electronics' Director Vishal Mewani Crushed to Death Under Lift in Mumbai’s Worli.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister B K Arukha, Leader of Opposition PK Naik of the BJP and Health Minister N K Das were also present at the meeting.
"The safety protocols for the MLAs and the Assembly staffers were discussed. Senior officials of various government departments, who are required to be present in the officers' gallery during the session, will undergo rapid antigen tests," the official said.
A special seating arrangement will be made for MLAs above the age of 60 years, he said, adding that the lawmakers will also be asked to go for home isolation after the conclusion of the upcoming session.
Patro had recently said that he would be able to fix a date for the next session of the House after getting a guideline from the Lok Sabha about how to hold it amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the protocol, it is mandatory to begin a session of the Assembly within six months from the day of the conclusion of the previous session, he said.
The last day of the previous session of the House was March 30. Hence, going by the rule, the next session must start by September 30, he said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)