Addressing members who took oath in the House, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that the ensuing Monsoon Session of the House will also be held as per the Covid protocol conforming with the social distancing and safety norms.
The Covid cases continue to rise across the country including more than 18,000 cases on Friday itself, therefore, the Covid restrictions which have been in place for the last few sessions will continue to be in place in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
Sources said that this decision has been arrived at after considerable discussion and monitoring by both custodians of the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha.
It has also been brought to notice that more than 80 pc of the eligible members of Parliament, as well as staff of the Secretariat, have been able to take vaccinations including the booster dose.
Members of Parliament will be expected to be masked up at all times and abide by the norms of social distancing.
The sitting of members will be available in both the Lok Sabha as well as a Rajya Sabha chambers and also in the visitor’s gallery.
This essentially means that visitor entry will continue to be blocked during the upcoming session.
Restrictions will also continue on the number of media personnel who will attend the proceedings of the house from the galleries.