MPS WHO ARE CLOSE CONTACTS TO SIT AT PUBLIC GALLERY IN PARLIAMENT

Members of Parliament (MPs) attending Parliament who are close contacts to positive cases but have tested negative for the virus will be required to sit at the public gallery in Parliament and give their speeches there.

They will also be required to be at least one seat apart, and to remain masked when they are not giving their speeches.

This was announced by Speaker of Parliament, Tan Chuan Jin, today (7 Mar) at the beginning of the Parliamentary session.

Current safe management measures in Parliament requires MPs to be seated a minimum of one seat apart and also to spread themselves out across Parliament in the Main Chamber, Speakers’ Gallery and the Press Gallery.

The arrangement announced today serves as a precaution and it is also to reduce the number of people in the Chamber as there were at least eight MPs who tested positive for the virus in the previous week.

MPs who tested positive recently

Here are the MPs who had tested positive recently for the virus:

• Indranee Rajah (PAP)
• Alvin Tan (PAP)
• Carrie Tan (PAP)
• Gan Thiam Poh (PAP)
• Cheng Li Hui (PAP)
• Alex Yam (PAP)
• Sylvia Lim (WP)
• He Ting Ru (WP)

Similar arrangements made during Circuit Breaker Period

Mr Tan Chuan Jin also noted that arrangements similar to the new arrangement announced today were first introduced during the start of the pandemic, during the Circuit Breaker period.

Leader of the House, Ms Indranee Rajah also said that these arrangements were made because a few of the MPs who are close contacts had taken leave as a precaution, even though current rules allow them to leave house after they have tested negative for the day.

She added that there is a need to review the situation as it progresses and adapt as it goes when the number of MPs who are close contacts declines or eventually test positive themselves.

Image source: Google Maps, Chuan-Jin Tan/Facebook