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    HomeNewsIndiaParliament’s Monsoon Session: 25 MPs test positive for COVID-19 on Day 1

    Parliament’s Monsoon Session: 25 MPs test positive for COVID-19 on Day 1

    As many as 17 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) have tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day of the Monsoon Session, news reports suggest.

    Moneycontrol News
    September 15, 2020 / 07:24 IST


    As many as 17 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) and eight Rajya Sabha MPs have tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day of the Monsoon Session.

    The Lok Sabha MPs, 12 of whom belong to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had been tested on September 13-14 ahead of the session. Two MPs belonging to the YSR Congress Party and one each from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) and the Shiv Sena.

    However, the RLP MP, Hanuman Beniwal claimed in a tweet that he had tested negative for COVID-19 in a test conducted at a hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

    The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on September 14.

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    Also read: The challenges of holding a Parliament session now

    Parliament had made major changes to its procedures to accommodate COVID-19 safety norms. Only those with a negative COVID-19 report were to be granted entry to the premises. The negative report is to be based on a test conducted within the previous 72 hours.

    The two Houses are sitting in shifts instead of sitting simultaneously, without any off days. This is to make way for a special seating arrangement to help MPs adhere to social distancing guidelines. Between the two shifts, the entire complex will be sanitised.

    Follow latest updates from Parliament’s Monsoon Session here

    The Upper and Lower House, together, have more than 780 members at present. Seats of MPs in both chambers have been partitioned using plastic sheets.

    Only MPs and union ministers are being allowed inside the main building. Necessary seating arrangements have been made for separate sitting of their personal staff in the complex.

    Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the novel coronavirus pandemic

    Moneycontrol News
    first published: Sep 14, 2020 03:12 pm

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