Meetings of parliamentary committees suspended after staff members test positive for COVID-19

Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, on Friday, announced that all meetings of Parliamentary Committees and Sub-Committees at the Public Buildings have been discontinued with immediate effect until further notice.

This, the Parliament Office said in a statement, was due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. Some five members of staff have reportedly tested positive for COVID – 19 in recent days.

The announcement was also made moments after the Parliament Office notified of an in-person Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting set for Monday, April 19^th, 2021. That meeting has since been cancelled.

“The Speaker has since instructed the Clerk of the National Assembly to sanitize the entire Building and to ensure that the COVID-19 guidelines are fully in place for Members of Parliament, staff, and visitors to the Public Buildings,” the statement said.

The Speaker will give approval for virtual meetings of Committees when he is satisfied that all Members have access to the internet so that they can participate fully in meetings of Committees.

The Speaker has also encouraged Members of Parliament who have not been vaccinated against the virus to do so.