OTTAWA -- With the COVID-19 virus now declared a global pandemic, the number of cases in Canada on the rise, and the federal government putting up more than $1 billion to respond to the outbreak, questions are swirling around how the novel coronavirus could change the way things run on Parliament Hill.

CTVNews.ca offers a rundown of potential scenarios, from procedural accommodations to pulling the plug on public access, given we've now seen a few instances of high-profile policymakers who have potentially crossed paths with COVID-19 patients.

And, the latest details on the precautions being taken so far.

House business

In West Block, which is housing MPs and the House of Commons while Centre Block is under renovation, space is tight. Factor in 338 MPs, a handful of staff for each, hundreds of administration employees, and the gaggle of reporters and camera operators getting up close and personal and it's easy to see how former MP Lisa Raitt has equated the space to a petri dish where germs spread with ease.

Compound that with the reality that MPs are often travelling, and meeting and greeting the general public. So far, save for the increase of elbow bumps, little has changed on Parliament Hill.

But if things get bad enough, the decision could be made to suspend the House of Commons sitting and resume it when safe. But it appears that consideration is still far away, given it could lead to a backlog in passing key government business such as the budget and the new NAFTA deal.

The latest email from House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to those who work on the Hill stated that the House administration is "continuing to monitor" the situation and is in communication with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ottawa Public Health "to ensure that we are receiving the most current information and guidance."

Within the parliamentary precinct the frequency of cleaning in high-traffic areas is being increased, such as handrails and door handles, and additional hand sanitizer stations and preventative measure signage is going up.

The Commons does have a pandemic plan that it would enact should the situation escalate, and as House of Commons Chief Human Resources Officer Pierre Parent noted in an email to staff on Friday, “during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, the House of Commons provided regular information on preventative and precautionary measures, liaised closely with Hill and health partners, increased cleaning protocols and installed additional hygiene signage."

The House administration is recommending MPs and House of Commons staff to: stay home if they are sick; cover their mouths and noses with a tissue or their sleeve when coughing or sneezing and then wash their hands; avoid touching their mouths, noses and eyes; wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; and wipe down any objects and surfaces with disinfectant.

Should an outbreak hit the Hill and result in numerous employee absences, to the degree that they impact services, the Clerk of the House of Commons would take on raising those concerns to senior House officials.

Asked on Tuesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that so far there are no plans to limit access to Parliament Hill, unlike in some major sports leagues where locker rooms have been declared off limits to the journalists that cover them.

She then said on Wednesday that the House of Commons Health and Safety Committee is meeting on Thursday to discuss next steps.

Key votes and attendance

So far, the House leadership offices for the Liberals and Conservatives say they are letting the House of Commons administration take the lead on decisions, but are watching closely as things evolve. The considerations of MP attendance are compounded for the Liberals over the opposition parties, given the reality of the minority parliament. The Liberals needs to have as many votes as possible to ensure the House agenda continues according to their plans. In certain circumstances, such as passing a budget, not having the numbers to win a vote could mean they face the chance of being defeated by the opposition.

But there are options.

All that’s needed to reach "quorum" in the House of Commons is 20 MPs. With 20 elected members of parliament present, debate can occur.

When it comes to votes, if MPs are absent because they are sick or self-isolating—the way two Liberals already are—their whip's office can work out deals with the other parties to keep proportionality, called "pairing."

Because no one else can cast a vote on behalf of an elected MP, and there is no option for electronic voting in the Canadian Parliament, when a party knows a significant number of its members will be away, it can informally agree with the opposition parties to pair members. For example, if the Liberals have an MP absent, the Conservatives would agree to have one less member present as well. It's more common to see this occur on non-controversial votes, rather than key issues like confidence votes.

Rota said on Wednesday that he and political leadership would “discuss any changes that would have an impact on parliamentary business,” and “would then consider and determine any special measures in response to the evolving situation.”

Cancelling interparliamentary travel

After the novel coronavirus was declared a pandemic, the Joint Interparliamentary Council—the body that co-ordinates all parliamentary association activities—decided to order a moratorium on all international and interparliamentary affairs-supported international travel as well as any incoming delegations until May 6.

The Council met on Wednesday to discuss how to manage the risks of international travel and hospitality events in Ottawa given COVID-19, and hear from the clerks of both the House and Senate before making this decision.

While some parliamentary associations—cross-party groups focused on diplomatic relations with various nations and regions— have already cancelled or postponed activities, all bilateral and multilateral parliamentary association chairs are now being told to put their plans on hold.

Meanwhile, no committee travel approvals have yet been granted for upcoming studies, so restrictions could also be coming there. Or, given the evolving technical capabilities, committee meetings could see an increase in asking witnesses to testify via video conference.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday that despite making changes to his personal travel schedule, he is not advising his caucus to be grounded. MPs are set to be back in the ridings all next week.

Public access paused?

Of course, it's not only the threat of the virus spreading amongst those who work on Parliament Hill -- there's the factor of the general public's access to Parliament.

From expert witnesses at committees to guests brought in by MPs and tours, a lot of people pass through the doors of West Block and the Senate of Canada building daily.

While public tours are only offered when the House and Senate are not in session, it's common to see visitors sitting in the public viewing galleries atop both chambers on any given day. To date there's been no decision on restricting access to Canadians, but a conversation is underway.

Asked about this on Tuesday, Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez said House leadership is discussing the tourism aspect daily.

"We’re looking at different scenarios, but we’re taking this extremely seriously," he said.

According to the latest from Rota, decisions related to public access and tours will be based off of local health authorities.

“Recommendations to restrict access to the parliamentary buildings would be brought forward to the Board of Internal Economy or the Speaker for an urgent decision, if necessary,” Rota said, referencing the key all-party decision making board on the Hill.