BHUBANESWAR: All employees of the Odisha Assembly were on Friday directed to go on home quarantine after the third COVID-19 patient of the State was found to have come in contact with one of the staffers.
Announcing this, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro said, the Assembly building will also be disinfected.
The Assembly will meet for a day in Lok Seva Bhavan on March 30 to pass the Appropriation Bill for 2020-21. The proceedings of the Assembly had been suspended on March 13 in view of COVID-19.
“As the third COVID-19 patient came in contact with Assembly staff, all the officials need to put themselves on home-quarantine and the entire building will be disinfected to prevent the spread of the deadly virus,” he said and added that the Assembly will resume its business at Lok Seva Bhavan. “I have directed all the Members of Legislative Assembly to maintain a distance of two metres from each other while sitting,” he added.
The Speaker said Assembly will conduct its business with 30 per cent members and leaders of all parties have been requested to send members accordingly. The House will be adjourned immediately after passing of the Appropriation Bill. The police and authorities concerned have been instructed to exempt MLAs from lockdown norms during the session. “The collectors and SPs of all the districts have been asked not to stop the MLAs coming to attend the session,” he said. Earlier in the day, the Government’s chief spokesman on COVID-19 Subroto Bagchi said the 60-year-old man, who is the third COVID-19 positive case, had visited the Odisha Assembly dispensary.