Monsoon session: All Covid protocols will be followed, assures Lok Sabha Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday said all Covid-related protocols will be followed during the monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to begin from July 19.

He said those who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be requested to undergo an RT-PCR test before entering the Parliament premises during the session.

Addressing a press conference in the Parliament complex, Birla said 323 MPs have been fully vaccinated against the virus, while 23 have not been able to take their first jab due to some medical reasons.

He informed that both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will sit simultaneously in the upcoming monsoon session, which will start from 11 am.

Emphasising on the Covid-related arrangements for the session, Birla said adequate measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the members, officials, mediapersons and others.

Those who have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine will not require to undertake the RT-PCR test, he said, adding that the facility for RT-PCR test will be available in the Parliament House complex.

Birla also informed that 411 members have taken at least one vaccine dose and the rest are yet to be vaccinated because of medical grounds. Officials of the Lok Sabha Secretariat have also been vaccinated, the speaker said.

He further said due to the restrictions to be put in place in view of COVID-19, visitors will not be allowed during the monsoon session of Parliament.

Sharing the latest initiative on digitalisation of the parliamentary work, Birla said an app is being developed for the parliamentarians, which will be a one-stop solution for all parliamentary matters.

Speaking on the new Parliament building, he said it will be completed in time.

The monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from July 19 and conclude on August 13.

Since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, three sessions of Parliament were curtailed, while the winter session last year had to be cancelled.

The monsoon session, which usually starts in July, had begun in September last year owing to the pandemic situation.