Parliament sanitised after fourth case of covid-19

New Delhi: Government agencies undertook a massive drive on Saturday to sanitise all buildings in the Parliament House Complex after a fourth case of COVID-19 was reported from the complex, officials said.

Of the four cases, three had contracted the infection after Parliament resumed on May 3, when Lockdown 2.0 ended. A Rajya Sabha Secretariat official tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, they said.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement the comprehensive drive included sanitisation of all indoor and outdoor areas, individual offices, restrooms and common areas.

It previously conducted a similar exercise on March 21. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla then said awareness and restraint are key to prevent COVID-19 spread. Thereafter, several such exercises were undertaken.

“In the exercise held today, CPWD, NDMC and other allied agencies, working within Parliament, used specialized equipment and strong chemical disinfectants like sodium hydrochloride in order to ensure sanitation in and around Parliament House Complex,” the lower house secretariat said.

According to the orders issued by the secretariat, a certain number of staffers are required to work from home and employees are allowed to enter Parliament only after proper screening.

All vehicles are sanitised before entering the complex.