UK Parliament to Resume Activities Amid Plans to Establish Virtual House of Commons

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Parliament will resume activities on Tuesday after an extended Easter break, with lawmakers set to vote on a proposal that will allow for virtual sessions in the lower house via video link, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Commons lawmakers will be asked to vote on several measures as parliament resumes on Tuesday. If approved, key parliamentary sessions, such as the Prime Minister's Questions, will be conducted via video link. According to the parliament's official website, video screens will be installed in the House of Commons to allow the speaker and lawmakers present in the chamber to see their colleagues.

FILE PHOTO: MPs leave the House of Commons to vote in the election of the new Speaker of the House, in London, Britain November 4, 2019, in this screen grab taken from video. Parliament TV via REUTERS./File Photo

© Reuters TV

On Thursday, parliamentary authorities gave the green light to plans that will allow as many as 120 members of parliament to participate in virtual sessions via the video conferencing software programme Zoom. Only 50 lawmakers will be permitted in the House of Commons, the UK's lower house, at one time, according to the proposals that were backed by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

The news comes as the United Kingdom confirmed over 124,000 infected with the death toll surpassing 16,500.