After the next Senate meeting was postponed, the Sejm made a similar decision. The changes are related to reports of coronavirus infections among senators. By Monday, three of them had confirmed that they had COVID-19.
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On Saturday, a senator of the Polish Coalition PSL-Kukiz’15 Jan Filip Libicki announced that he is infected with the coronavirus. They provided similar information on Monday senators Artur Dunin (KO) and Ryszard Bober (Polish Coalition). Non-attached senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski and PiS senator Ryszard Majer were quarantined.
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On Monday evening, the director of the Sejm Information Center, Andrzej Grzegrzółka, announced that the Sejm meeting scheduled for August 7 was postponed to August 14. Thus, the MPs’ holiday break will be delayed, as the next meeting was not to be held until September 16 and 17. Before, by the decision of Tomasz Grodzki, Marshal of the Senate, the session of the Senate was postponed by a week (from August 4-7 to August 11-13).
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Tests for deputies at the expense of the Sejm
It is convened on August 6 at 10am National Assembly, during which Andrzej Duda will take the oath and take office for a second term.
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As reported in an interview with TVN24, deputy of the Left, Joanna Senyszyn, the Chancellery of the Sejm informed MPs about the possibility of conducting a coronavirus test at the law firm’s expense. According to the parliamentarian, this is related to the swearing-in of the president. – The point is that the deputies and senators should quickly examine themselves before August 6, the Sejm and the Senate will return the money for this, so that the ceremony could be held – she said. Senyszyn said she did not plan to test for the coronavirus herself, and would not take part in the presidential oath.
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Read more about the coronavirus in the tvn24.pl report
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Senyszyn: We received information about the possibility of passing the test at the expense of the Chancellery of the SejmTVN24
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Frank: Safety-justified tests
Michał Szczerba from the Civic Coalition confirmed the information that MPs were paid for tests. – Such tests are justified for the safety of not only us, but also employees of the Sejm and journalists – he stressed.
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– The letter we received indicates that this is a one-off test related to what will happen this week. For those who will take part in the National Assembly – said the MP. He assessed it as “a positive initiative”, but “would like all citizens to have equal access to tests, not just parliamentarians”.
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Szczerba about coronavirus tests for MPsTVN24
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Grodzki: We have established procedures
– We are in contact with the sanitary and epidemiological authorities and we fully comply with their recommendations – said Tomasz Grodzki, Senate Marshal. He added that for senators who are in Warsaw in the coming days, tests for the presence of coronavirus will be organized, while senators who are staying in their places of residence will be contacted with local sanitary and epidemiological authorities.
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As he explained, the Senate Chancellery sent a list of several dozen names of senators and Senate employees who had contact with the infected person to the sanitary and epidemiological authorities. He added, however, that Libicki also contacted deputies, including deputy speakers of the Sejm. He stressed that he had not personally contacted Senator Libicki due to the fact that he was on leave. – The situation is standard. After several months of fighting the coronavirus, we have developed procedures – he said.
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Marshal Grodzki expressed the hope that Senator Libicki would recover quickly, and that next week “in a hybrid manner we will be able to conduct normal Senate meetings and committees.”
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Marshal Grodzki on the epidemiological situation in parliament TVN24
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National Assembly in an epidemiological regime
The Marshal of the Senate announced that he was in contact with the Marshal of the Sejm, Elżbieta Witek, with whom they adopted the principle that, in accordance with the applicable standards, the National Assembly would be held in the pandemic regime. As he added, a detailed letter on the conditions for organizing the National Assembly was already sent by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, Jarosław Pinkas. – The new thing is that the ordinary mask that many of us wear is not enough, but it must be a mask with a higher level to prevent germ penetration, there will be social distance – added Grodzki. Moreover, as the Marshal of the Senate said, some senators in quarantine would not be able to participate in the meeting, and some declared that they did not plan to participate in it.
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photo-source">Main photo source: Mateusz Marek / PAP
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