Compulsory mask-wearing, entry to only those who test negative and carrying out country’s parliamentary proceedings in two shifts will be among the focal points of this year’s Monsoon session which begins on Monday.

This is the first time a parliamentary session is taking place amid a viral disease outbreak. Monsoon session in Parliament is usually conducted around mid-July. This year’s monsoon session got deferred after Covid-19 cases in India showed an upward trend since March, forcing authorities to strictly observe safety norms such as social distancing and avoidance of large public gathering.

Just a day before the parliamentary session is expected to begin, India’s Covid-19 tally on Sunday breached 47 lakh mark after 94,372 people across the country tested positive for the viral contagion in the last 24 hours.

Here is all you need to know about this year’s Parliament monsoon session:

• The session will start from Monday, September 14 and is expected to conclude on Thursday, October 1. All the days, including weekend days – Saturdays and Sundays – will be working days for member of parliaments.

• A total of 18 sittings spread over a period of 18 days will mark this monsoon session.

• Total of 47 items – including 45 bills and two financial items – have been identified for being taken up during the monsoon session.

• This will be first-of-its-kind monsoon session will see Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sitting in two different shifts. Keeping Covid-19 safety protocols in consideration, special seating arrangements have been made for MPs in adherence to social distancing guidelines.

• This year’s session will be marked by unprecedented logistics and infrastructure arrangements, including ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in air-conditioning systems to kill or inactivate microorganisms, 10 display screens for live proceedings, earmarked seats for top leaders and special communication cables linking both Houses.

• For marking MPs’ attendance, a mobile app will be in place for registering presence. The seats in both the houses will be separated with poly-carbon sheets.

• Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be adjourned for an hour after obituary references to former president Pranab Mukherjee and other members of the parliament who have passed away during the interregnum.

• Senior Opposition leaders like Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh will be giving this monsoon session a miss due to medical reasons. While Gandhi has left for abroad for a routine medical check up, 87 year old Manmohan Singh has been strictly advised by his doctors to not leave his house.

• The Opposition will push for debate on economy, the India-China border conflict and Covid-19 management, to corner the government.