This is how PM Modi and other VVIPs have been protected from Covid by PMO and govt

New Delhi: Many things have changed during the pandemic. One of those is the protocol for meeting VVIPs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s physical meetings with visitors have been cut down to a bare minimum since the Covid outbreak. Not only have the number of visitors coming to meet the PM reduced, those who do come have to have undergone an RT-PCR test 24 hours before the appointment, government sources told ThePrint.

Even with officials, the prime minister’s physical meetings are minimum and “need-based”. A majority of the meetings are now happening virtually, except for some important ones with cabinet ministers or National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Officials from the Prime Minister’s Office are also meeting the PM only on a need basis, said a government source.

In case of physical meetings with ministers/officials, the routine protocol of checking temperature with thermal scanner, sanitisation and maintaining social distance is followed strictly. Wearing masks is mandatory for everyone. “In any meeting, a minimum distance of 15-20 feet is maintained between the PM and officials,” the source added.

Modi not always working from home 

Sources say that Modi has mostly been working out of 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, his official residence, during the pandemic.

However, the Covid safety measures haven’t kept Modi from stepping out. He attended the monsoon session of Parliament that concluded in September. More recently, he attended election rallies in Bihar. “If it’s required, he attends official/public engagements. But preference is given to virtual meetings,” a second source said.

With virtual meetings completely scrapping the logistics of travel, government sources say Modi’s official as well as public engagements have gone up manifold as compared to pre-Covid times. “More meetings are happening now because they are virtual,” the source said.

In the initial months after the nationwide lockdown was enforced, a few meetings of the Union cabinet were held at the PM’s residence.

“However, later this was stopped and now even the cabinet meetings are held virtually. If the PM so wants and an important issue has to be discussed, the PM summons the concerned minister to be present at his residence during the virtual cabinet meeting,” a senior government official, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint.

Even the Doordarshan correspondent and cameramen covering the PM, who have to go to his official residence, are in strict isolation when not on call. “The team had undergone RT-PCR test. Besides, they have been told not to mingle with others outside. They are also not required to go to their office,” a government source said.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in India, at least a dozen ministers in Modi’s cabinet, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Several top officials in the government, including secretaries, have also tested positive for Covid-19 in the last few months.

Suresh Angadi, the minister of state for railways, succumbed to Covid-19.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan is the latest to get infected after he tested positive Saturday.

No standardised Covid protocol

There is, however, no standardised Covid protocol in place for the PM, President or other VVIPs like the Vice President.

“For the PM, for instance, an informal protocol has been put in place internally. The Special Protection Group manages and oversees that the protocol is adhered to. Besides, the PM’s health is also monitored on a regular basis,” the second source said.

An informal Covid-19 protocol, though less stringent, has been put in place for President Ram Nath Kovind also. “The main thing is that the President’s physical meetings have been cut to a bare minimum. We are also strictly following the other Covid protocols like maintaining social distancing, frequent sanitisation and temperature checks,” a Rashtrapati Bhawan official said.

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu had tested positive for Covid-19 in September and since recovered.

Since there isn’t standardised protocol, across states, the rules for constitutional heads like governors and lieutenant governors vary.

For instance, in Jammu and Kashmir, visitors going to meet L-G Manoj Sinha have to undergo a rapid antigen test at the Raj Bhawan premises itself before being granted an audience. In Kerala, which has been seeing a spike in cases, protocol at Governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s office is not so stringent. Visitors and officials are made to go through a routine temperature check and sanitisation drill before they meet Khan.

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