Some 15 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 56 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announced this in the House on Thursday, February 4, 2021.
According to him, the said MPs and the staff have been contacted and advised to self-isolate for treatment.
Based on this development, Parliament will from February 8, 2021, sit only twice a week as part of the measures to curb the spread of the virus.
The sittings, the Speaker said, will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Only Members of Parliament and members of staff who are needed for the business of the House on those days will be allowed in the presence of Parliament from next week,” Mr Bagbin said.
In addition, an orientation and induction workshop scheduled for tomorrow will only have new MPs in attendance.
For the infected MPs, he said “all the 15 members have been contacted and advised to self-isolate. They have also been given prescriptions to facilitate their recovery.”
Mr Bagbin said that these MPs and staff have been asked to self-isolate while steps are being taken to ensure that members of their household are also tested.
“This will help avert reinfection upon their return from self-isolation and treatment. They have also been given prescriptions to facilitate their recoveries,” he stated.
He revealed that about 48 MPs, however, are still yet to undertake the test.
“The (Noguchi) institute has generously accepted to do a mop-up on Friday, February 5th. I want to urge members who haven’t taken the opportunity to do so tomorrow.”
The Speaker urged other members who tested in private institutions to submit their results and urged those who are yet to test to do so.