NEW DELHI: Close to 30 MPs and about 50 employees of the parliamentary secretariat tested Covid-19 positive on the opening day of Parliament on Monday.
While 17 Lok Sabha MPs were found infected — 12 from BJP, two YRS Congress, and one each from the Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP — 12 Rajya Sabha, members tested positive — two each from BJP and Congress and one each from AIADMK, TRS, AAP and Trinamool Congress.
All Covid protocols like social distancing, usage of masks and sanitisers were observed on Day 1 of Parliament. While close to 200 members were in attendance in the Lok Sabha chamber, over 30 were seated in the visitors’ gallery above the main chamber.
BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi took to twitter saying, “After the routine Parliament test for COVID & genome test it’s confirmed that I have tested positive for the virus.”
Another MP Jamyang Tsering Namagyal wrote, “My health is fine but I’m being advised to quarantine.” Others infected include Suresh Angadi, Anant Kumar Hegde, Deepender Singh Hooda, A Navneethakrishnan, Sushil Gupta and V Lakshmikantha Rao.