Odisha: MLAs, staff, senior officials to undergo COVID-19 test before Assembly’s winter session

Bhubaneswar: With the winter session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly commencing from November 20, all the MLAs, staff and other senior officials will have to undergo COVID-19 test from November 17 to November 19.

Speaker Surya Narayan Patro informed this Tuesday after a meeting chaired by him.

Patro also informed that RT-PCR tests of the legislators, staff and other officers will be done in a special counter and a Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) team along with a medical team will collect the swab samples. Those who test negative will be allowed to sit in the House.

Those legislators, staff and other officers who will test negative for COVID-19 will be provided with face masks and sanitiser.

All the legislators will have to remain in home quarantine after the expiry of the session, he added.

While answering journalists’ queries, Patro said that social distancing norms will be strictly followed inside the House. Regarding Question Hours, he said it has not been decided as yet whether there will be Question Hours or not.

The winter session has been summoned for 40 working days from November 20 to December 31.

PNN