Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has confirmed that some Members of Parliament have tested positive for Covid-19 while addressing the House today, January 29, 2021. He however did not disclose the names of the MPs who had contracted the virus on grounds of “confidentiality”.
He further urged members of the House to adhere to safety protocols by narrating an incident whereby he had to “signal some members to respect the physical distancing protocols”.
“It is true as the Majority Leader has just stated that we are not safe. Even in the House, some members are afflicted by COVID-19.
“You may not know who the person is and because of the protocol issues of confidentiality, we are not disclosing those who are now Covid-19 victims. But we have some of us in that category”.
Alban Bagbin
Alban Bagbin expressed his displeasure over the continuous refusal of some MPs to undergo the testing which he insists is mandatory.
“My directive that all members subject themselves to the test has not yet been complied with by over 60 Members of Parliament”.
Parliament has likewise begun the conduct of its business in a tent situated at the forecourt of the house. This arrangement is to allow for the observance of social distancing protocols in line with preventing COVID-19.
Mr. Bagbin had earlier on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, appealed to Members of Parliament who have not been tested for the COVID-19 virus to do so before the close of day.
Speaking during the conduct of business at the plenary, the Speaker, Mr. Bagbin urged the MPs to undertake the Coronavirus testing exercise for Members of Parliament which commenced last week but was not completed.
“Honourable members, I humbly urge that we all take this opportunity seriously and go through it by the end of today.
“We arranged with the Noguchi institute to use three days for the testing exercise. The three days are over, but I am reliably informed that a number of our members have not yet taken the opportunity to either do the screening or even to undergo the COVID-19 test”.
He added that the medical team that was designated to do the exercise for the Members of Parliament was still available at the medical centre for members to take the test.
“The team is still at the Parliament medical centre waiting for Members to do so.”
Meanwhile, Ghana has recorded some 625 new cases of Covid-19. According to the recent update from the Ghana Health Service, the country also has a case count of 63,883 with 3,940 active cases.
With the increasing number of cases there have been snippets of speculations of a possible lockdown,
With this, Information Minister designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah revealed the country may be heading for tighter restrictions and a possible lockdown should the Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
“Yes, there is a possibility of some more restriction being introduced especially with regard to how this trend is going. If these numbers keep rising where the average daily increases to 210- 250 that means in five days we will be hitting about 1000 plus”.
