Legislature implements new COVID-19 protocol

The Legislature began implementing yesterday their new COVID-19 protocols, including barring the public (except for some exemptions) from entering the legislative building on Capital Hill, due to the recent cases of community transmissions of the virus.

This comes amid unconfirmed reports that two Legislative Bureau employees recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez jointly signed Tuesday Legislative COVID Protocol Directive 2021-01 in their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus within the Legislative Building and to ensure the safety of members and their staff, and Legislative Bureau staff.

Hofschneider and Villagomez said the Legislative Building will undergo sanitation as soon as possible.

Under the directive, no person who is not a Legislative member, a members’ staff, or a Legislative Bureau employee shall be authorized to enter the building, except for some exemptions, such as those persons whose attendance is required at legislative hearings or sessions. Such an exemption may be granted at the discretion of the presiding officer of the respective chamber.

Persons excluded from the building under this provision may opt to deliver items or correspondence at the entrance of the House or the Senate.

Hofschneider and Villagomez said this provision shall be effective immediately and remain in effect until the end of November or until further notice.

The respective Sergeant-at-Arms shall strictly enforce this provision at all times.

In an interview yesterday, Villagomez said they were advised by the COVID-19 Task Force that they can still operate, but must strictly follow the protocols that they have in place. When it comes to sessions or committee meetings where it’s necessary to bring in an individual, it will be at the discretion of the committee chairpersons or the presiding officers, Villagomez said.

“We’ll try to just limit the [number of] people that are needed in those meetings or sessions,” he said.

He said people working in the building should use only the main entrances, which is in the House side and the Senate side for entrance and exit.

He said some members’ offices have doors on the side.

“We want to make sure we keep track of members and members’ staff that work in the building, get their temperature check, to know that they’re coming in masked up and that they sanitize their hands at least when they come,” Villagomez said.

He said they are also encouraging the members—not mandating—and everyone working in the building, to get vaccinated or tested.