In view of the rising COVID-19 cases and growing concern over the Omicron variant, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has restricted staff attendance.

As per new directions, 50 per cent of officials and staff below the rank of under secretary and executive officer are required to work from home till the end of this month.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has reviewed the situation and directed that necessary measures be taken to contain the spread of the virus among the Secretariat officials and staff ahead of the Budget session which is to begin towards the end of this month.

Those with disabilities and pregnant women are exempted from attending office, according to the new directions.

Starting and closing timings of the Secretariat are staggered to avoid crowding. All official meetings will be held virtually.

The decision amid the reports of more than 400 Parliament staff members testing positive for COVID-19.

“Close to 402 staffs were tested positive for COVID-19 from January 4-8 and all samples have been sent to genome sequencing for Omicron variant confirmation,” an official told ANI.

“There is a consolidated list of 200 Lok Sabha and 69 from Rajya Sabha and 133 allied staff who have tested positive, but we all need to take proper precautions,” an internal message read.

Meanwhile, India on Sunday reported a single-day surge of 1,59,632 new coronavirus cases, pushing the tally to 3.55 crore, which included 3,623 cases of Omicron variant reported across 27 states and Union territories so far.

The recent sharp rise in COVID-19 cases due to the emergence of the Omicron variant has triggered an alarm across the country with many states announcing fresh restrictions to contain the spread of the disease.