Coronavirus: Close parliament, let all MPs isolate and test - Apaak

Dr. Clement Apaak, Member of Parliament for Builsa South in the Upper East Region has advised that all members of the legislature isolate for 14-days and take a coronavirus test before resuming work.

His main reason was the fact that MPs who tested positive for the virus still attended to the house: "In that context, we should break parliament."

"I have said that we should all go home and self-isolate because we assume that we have been exposed. Let's all isolate for 14 days and get tested after," he said on Joy FM in an interview monitored by Ghanaweb.

"It's a reasonable proposal that I made and I hope the leadership of the parliament will consider it. Those who took members of parliament on have every reason to, they have every reason to be angry and disappointed," Apaak added.

Yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin disclosed that 15 MPs and over 50 parliamentary staff had tested positive for coronavirus.

He had earlier threatened to expose MPs that had contracted the virus but were still attending to business in the house.

The speaker also announced that the house will sit twice a week starting next week. A Joy News reporter cited leadership as saying all MPs who tested positive will be barred from the premises as from next week.

But for Apaak, while it was not in his place to proffer punishment for the recalcitrant MPs, it was fair to say: "We [parliamentarians] must bow down our heads in shame."

There has been an outcry, especially on social media around the conduct of the MPs at a time the Ghana police service is enforcing the wearing of masks and ban on some category of gatherings across the country.