The Odisha Assembly on March 11 issued safety guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, an official said.

Lawmakers and staff of the Assembly were asked to wash their hands frequently and keep the environment clean in order to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, the official said. The Assembly secretariat also imposed restrictions on the use of fingerprint-based biometric attendance during House proceedings. In order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene of the working space, furniture and equipment including tables, chairs, computers, phones and other assets are to be cleaned at least six times a day with disinfectants and sanitisers, the guideline said.

"All the staff/legislators are advised to clean their hands frequently with handwash /soaps. Handwash/soaps will also be kept in the washrooms and toilets on the premises," it said, adding that the legislators are advised to use tissue papers in order to sneeze or cough. "Staff and legislators are also barred from organising meetings that will gather a lot of people. They are advised to avoid fingerprint-based biometric attendance used to register their presence," an official said.

The staff and lawmakers suffering from, cold, cough and fever are advised to seek the help of the doctors present at the Assemblys dispensary and consume the prescribed medicines. They are also advised to throw used and unused substances in the dustbin and not litter the Assembly premises.