ITANAGAR, Aug 26: Five staffers of state legislative assembly tested positive for covid-19 during the Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) which was carried out by the health department at the state legislative secretariat here on Wednesday as the session is set to start on Thursday for its fifth session of 7th Legislative assembly.
Of the five, one is a peon, two are drivers and another two are clerical staffs.
They have all been shifted to CCC Lekhi.
The medical team led by ICC DMO and the senior nodal officer for Covid-19, had during the rapid antigen testing, tested a total of 262 people which comprised of all the working staff in the assembly complex, security personnel as well as the speaker, deputy speaker, DCM and four other MLAs.
Speaker Pasang D Sona, DCM Chowna Mein, Deputy Speaker Tesam Pongte, Minister for Tourism Nakap Nalo, MLA Laisam Simai and others also underwent the test.
The remaining 257 have tested negative for Covid-19.
Also, the whole assembly complex was sanitized to ensure full safety for the assembly session scheduled on 27 August.
The health department informed that the same antigen test will be conducted for all the elected members and others before the start of the assembly session and only those, who will test negative, shall be permitted entry.
MLAs that could not get tested on Wednesday will be tested on Thursday, before the start of the assembly session.
The members and officials on duty coming to the assembly on Thursday have been asked to produce Covid-19 test results at the entrance, failing which they will not be allowed entry.
Meanwhile, the legislative assembly starting on Thursday will now be held for only one day as against three days, which was originally planned.
The secretary of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative assembly Kago Habung informed that the session has been shortened due to Covid-19 pandemic and based on the number of business received from the government.
He also said besides obituary reference and question hour, the government would bring seven amendment bills. The legislative assembly has been fully sanitized and all the officials who will be on duty have undergone antigen tests, he said.
