Shutdown parliament immediately, don’t sit twice a week - Dr. Apaak

The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Clement Abas Apaak has disagreed with the decision for Parliament to sit twice a week after 15 MPs and 56 members of staff tested positive for covid-19.

He wants the House to shut down with immediate effect to help protect those who are negative.

Parliament will from next week begin sitting twice in a week.

This decision was reached because some MPs and parliamentary staff have tested positive for the deadly COVID-19 disease.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbn disclosed this after he announced that some 15 MPs and 56 parliamentary staffers tested positive for the virus following a mandatory screening.

The affected persons have been asked to self-isolate and undergo treatment.

Also, the immediate families are to be traced and tested to prevent re-infection.

“I make this statement today to formally inform honourable members of the COVID-19 situation in parliament and to update you of the results received so far from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research on the testing of members and staff which ended yesterday.

The Institute has generously accepted to do a mop-up tomorrow Friday 5th February 2021. I want to urge members who haven’t taken the opportunity to do so to kindly do it tomorrow.

Reports from parliament’s medical centre reveal that 227 members submitted themselves for the test 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 these tests to the director of the parliamentary medical centre.

Out of those who submitted themselves for the test in parliament, fifteen members of parliament tested positive for the virus. All the fifteen members have been conducted and advised to self-isolate. They have also been given prescriptions to facilitate their recovery.

Results of 193 staff received so far reveal that 56 of them tested positive for the virus. All the 56 staff have been contacted and advised to self-isolate. They have also been given prescriptions to facilitate their recovery.

Parliament is therefore taking steps to test the households of the thirteen members of staff and the 356 staff to avert re-infection upon their return from self-isolation and treatment

In consultation with leadership and the clerk, I have decided to implement the following measures to curb the further spread of the virus. The house will from text week sit twice a week. That is 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 precincts of parliament from next week. This excluded members and staff who have tested positive,” the statement of the Speaker read.

But reacting, Dr. Clement Apaak said the best option for Parliament is to shut down the Chamber.

He argued that they do not know the identities of the MPs who have tested positive for the virus and still attended sitting on Wednesday.

He said Parliament should be shut, all MPs and staffers tested and after 14 days, the House will resume if the MPs and staffers test negative.

He said: “15 MPs and 56 staff of parliament have tested positive for COVID. The best option shut down parliament. We don’t know the IDs of those positive, who still attended parliament. Shut down parliament, all MPs and staff, self-isolate. Get us tested after 14 days, then we resume if negative.”