New Delhi: Thousands of masks and gloves, hundreds of sanitiser bottles and face shields, touch-free operation of doors, and COVID-19 tests for an estimated 4,000 people including MPs and staff members. These are several of the arrangements that have been made for the 18-day Parliament session starting September 14. This is the first time ever that a session would be held under the shadow of a pandemic.
Frequent sanitisation of the entire parliament complex will also be carried out. Arrangements have been made to sanitise various parliamentary papers as well as footwear and cars of MPs, officials said. Frisking of people will also make way for touch-less security scanning, while thermal scanning will also be totally touch-free.
The first-of-its-kind monsoon session will see Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sitting in two different shifts. Special seating arrangements have been made for MPs in adherence to social distancing guidelines.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu have held extensive discussions. These have been done with officials of the Home Ministry, Health Ministry, ICMR and the DRDO. It has been conducted to make the entire Parliament complex a safe zone in view of the COVID-19 pandemic
As per the SOP finalised for the session till October 1, all MPs and staff of secretariats of both houses will undergo COVID-19 test at least 72 hours before the start of the session. Media personnel covering the proceedings, will also have to do the same.
Officials said arrangements have been made for tests of close to 4,000 people, including the MPs, staff members and journalists. Only MPs and ministers will be allowed inside the main building. Necessary seating arrangements will be made for separate seating of their personal staff in the complex. MPs will also be allowed to address the Chair while seated and wearing their masks.
It has also been decided that air of air conditioners will be exchanged six times every day to avoid any possible infection. The DRDO will also provide multi-utility COVID-19 kits to all MPs.
Each kit will contain 40 disposable masks, five N-95 masks and 20 bottles of sanitisers of 50ml each. The kit will also have face shields, 40 pairs of gloves and a touch-free hook to open and close doors. In addition there will be herbal sanitation wipes and tea bags to enhance immunity.
The two houses together have more than 780 members at present. The Health Ministry has also suggested that the movement of Members of Parliament in chambers of both the houses can be made unidirectional to avoid face-to-face interactions.
The Ministry will make available short video clips to all MPs on awareness about COVID-19 infections. The video will also talk about the benefits of wearing masks and using sanitisers.
Touchless sanitisers will be kept at 40 different places within the Parliament House complex. Emergency medical teams and ambulances will also be stationed.
All guidelines related to COVID-19 prevention will be strictly followed, presiding officers of both houses said. Marshals will also wear masks and face shields.
