Kate Addo makes u-turn on 2 MPs, 13 parliamentary staff coronavirus status

Public Affairs Director of Parliament, Kate Addo has made a sudden u-turn on her denial that 2 Members of Parliament (MPs) and 13 Staff of Parliament have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

A statement from the Public Affairs Office of the legislature on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, denied reports that some two Members of Parliament and thirteen staff of Parliament had tested positive for the virus.

The statement read in parts as “Parliament would like to state categorically that the results of the tests are not yet known and so the report by starrfmonline is not true. Parliament would, therefore, like to urge starrfmonline to pull down the said report and update its audience with the relevant information to the effect that the results from the tests are unknown to Parliament”.

“The confidentiality protocol of testing for COVID-19 is that those who test positive will be called directly by the testing team and be taken through the necessary steps for quarantine and treatment. Officially Parliament is unaware of any such call and has no official figures from the National COVID-19 response team.”

But in an interview with Joy News which was monitored by MyNewsGh.com Kate Addo who the Head of Public Affairs said her department did not say the reports were false.

“It is not as if anybody said it is not true, what was said was that we do not know for a fact that this is what it is,so it could more,it could less,it could be there,it could not be there.”

“The honourable minority whip is higher placed in Parliament, he is privy to information that I may not have, but the official information that I have is that as we speak now testing is still going on, more people are going to be tested,” she said in an interview with Joy News.

“Those who may test positive will be contacted privately this is not information that will be made publicly ….I have spoken to both sides of the house and to the medical director and he told me they were waiting for a case summary which will contain every information on the testing, there won’t be specific names but a number.”

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post said it’s sad how Parliament is handling the testing of Members of Parliament for COVID-19 because there’s nothing to hide.