ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday emphasised for proper implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) against coronavirus in the Parliament House during the upcoming budget session.
President Alvi visited Parliament House on Monday and on his arrival at the Parliament house National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar received and welcomed him. During visit to the Parliament House building to review arrangements for the budget session, the president stressed for effective steps in Upper and Lower houses to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the important session. National Assembly Secretary Tahir Hussain briefed the president about the safety arrangements in the Parliament House during budget session. The president was apprised that SOPs on coronavirus were properly adopted in the previous session of National Assembly as well and the SOPs for budget session will be discussed in the meeting of Business Advisory Committee. Speaker Asad Qaiser on the occasion said there was a need for raising more awareness in public about coronavirus. For the budget session, the president urged for taking necessary measures such as social distancing, wearing masks and frequent hand-washing.
President Alvi said it would also convey an effective message to public about their representatives taking proper precautionary measures against the virus. He stressed for putting in place SOPs for media coverage, both in press gallery and in the outer premises of Parliament House and also proposed an option of video-link for journalists. The president said he was monitoring the cases of coronavirus in the country on daily basis and had observed a spike in diagnosed cases and deaths in last few days. He stressed for coordinated efforts of the nation to fight the pandemic effectively. President Alvi also visited the Upper House, where Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani briefed him about the safety measures taken for the sessions. The president urged the implementation of SOPs in the mosque of the Parliament House.