Parliament has shut down until Tuesday, March 2, 2021, to combat the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) after an upsurge of the infection in the precincts of Parliament.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who announced the decision in a formal communication to the House yesterday, said 17 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 151 staff and ancillary workers of Parliament had been infected with the virus.
The Appointments Committee is due to commence the vetting of ministerial nominees of President Akufo-Addo and Mr. Bagbin indicated that the suspension would not affect the work of the committee.
“Members, having regard to the upsurge of the coronavirus infection in the House through 17 MPs and 151 staff and ancillary workers in the precincts of Parliament, and the fact that the Appointments Committee is yet to commence consideration of the President’s ministerial nominees, I have, in consultation with leadership, decided that Sitting of the House be adjourned for three weeks,” he stated.
The Speaker added, “It is hoped that within this period of adjournment, the Appointments Committee will commence consideration and public hearing of the President’s nominees for ministerial appointments. By the end of the three weeks, the Appointments Committee would have submitted reports on the referral for the consideration of the House.”
Accordingly, he said with the exception of members of the Appointments Committee, the Clerk to the Committee and other supporting staff who would be engaged in the task of considering the President’s nominees for ministerial appointments, “the House will take a break as from tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10, 2021, to Tuesday, March 2, 2021.”
“During that period, Members are to comply with the strict Covid-19 protocols and regulations. Members and staff should resubmit themselves to the Parliament Medical Centre for retesting after two weeks from tomorrow, to ascertain their status before the resumption of the House.”
Meanwhile Parliament will continue with the weekly disinfection and sanitization of the premises and precincts of Parliament, the Speaker pointed out and accordingly adjourned the House till Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in the afternoon.
Last Incident
Last week, the Speaker announced that some 15 MPs and 56 staff of the Parliamentary Service tested positive for Covid-19.
He said the MPs were among 227 lawmakers who subjected themselves to testing by the Noguchi Memorial Institute of the Medical Research Centre.
He had stated that the “result of 193 staff received so far revealed that 56 of them tested positive to the virus. All the 56 staff have been contacted and advised to self-isolate,” and added that affected MPs and staff had been given prescriptions to facilitate their recovery.
“The institute has generously accepted to do a mop up tomorrow, Friday, February 5, 2021. I want to urge members who haven’t taken the opportunity to kindly do it tomorrow,” he directed and continued that “reports from the Parliament Medical Centre reveal that 200 of the 275 members submitted themselves, while others conducted their own tests at private medical facilities.”
“I want to urge those who conducted their own tests at private medical facilities to submit the results of those test to the Director of the Parliamentary Medical Centre.”
He then said Parliament had taken steps to test the households of the 15 MPs and the 56 staff in order to avert reinfection upon their return from self-isolation and treatment; and then announced that “the House will from next week sit twice in a week – that is on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House