Covid-19 Disrupts Parliament, Forces MPs To Sit For Only 3 Hours A Day Until Budget 2021 Announcement
Budget 2021 will still be presented as planned.
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Today’s parliamentary proceedings have been cut short with sessions ending at 1pm as the Covid-19 virus has made its way into Parliament, just a few days before the announcement of Budget 2021.
This week’s parliament was supposed to discuss issues pertaining to Budget 2021, which will be announced this Friday.
However, several Dewan Negara staff have tested positive for Covid-19, and due to close contact, several Dewan Negara senators could also have been infected.
Over the weekend, Senator Ras Adiba Radzi announced that her special officer, who is also her sister, has tested positive for Covid-19.
— Ras Adiba Radzi (@SenatorRasAdiba) November 1, 2020
Minister in Charge of Parliamentary Affairs Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan explained that due to the prevalence of Covid-19 within Parliament, the day’s session will be cut short to 1pm. Following that, all other sessions until Thursday will also be cut short until 1pm.
The decision was made in agreement by all leaders of the political parties present, including the Opposition parties.
However, the meeting for the presentation of the Budget 2021 on Friday will continue as planned without shortened hours.
The new parliamentary SOPs were agreed on with advice from the Ministry of Health.
Takiyuddin also mentioned that the Parliament premises undergoes sanitation everyday before the morning meetings at 9am.
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