Parliamentary staff, reporters to get mandatory Covid tests daily as cases spike among MPs

Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel tested positive for Covid-19 recently. Both had attended the ongoing Monsoon session of the parliament.

Parliamentary staff being screened at the entrance of the Parliament during the Monsoon session | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

New Delhi: Amid fresh cases of coronavirus among MPs, reporters and parliamentary staff entering the Parliament complex will have to undergo mandatory antigen test on a daily basis, according to a new protocol put in place.

Members of both Houses are undergoing RT-PCR test on regular intervals on a voluntary basis, said a senior Parliament official.

A member of Parliament can undergo RT-PCR test as many times he or she likes.

Journalists covering the Monsoon session from press galleries of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha also have the option to undergo the RT-PCR test which is valid for 72 hours.

Since the report of the much reliable RT-PCR takes time, antigen test has been made mandatory on a daily basis.

Government officials accompanying their respective ministers during bill discussions also have to show a negative report of RT-PCR test taken within the last 72 hours of their visit to the complex.

Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad Patel have tested positive for COVID-19. Both had attended the ongoing session which began on September 14.

Several MPs had tested positive for COVID-19 around the time the session began and they were advised not to attend proceedings.