Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18) — Both chambers of Congress have suspended their plenary sessions for the rest of the week amid a spike in coronavirus cases among its members and staff.
The House of Representatives announced that it will resume session on Jan. 24 after over 70 members and employees tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the year. Many others are also undergoing isolation.
“Despite this, we continue to fulfill our constitutional duty of enacting laws that promote the interests and welfare of our people, while taking restrictive yet necessary measures to create a safe environment for House members and employees,” House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said in a statement on Tuesday.
The chamber first resumed session on Monday during which they approved 19 bills, Velasco added.
The Senate also announced on Monday that it will hold off sessions and resume next week. Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri said there are 88 active cases or those currently ill in the Senate, while 196 are under home quarantine.
The work suspension will also give way for sanitation and disinfection of the Senate premises, an advisory from the Senate Secretary stated. Committee hearings and other meetings may still proceed virtually, it added.
