Ghana has suspended parliamentary activities for three weeks due to a Covid-19 outbreak among Members of Parliament and staff.
Reports suggest 17 members of parliament and 151 staff and ancillary workers have been infected with the virus. Parliament will be adjourned from Wednesday until March 2 while the premises are disinfected and sanitized.
“I have, in consultation with the leadership, decided that the sitting of the house be suspended for three weeks,” said the speaker of the house, Alban Bagbin, on Tuesday.
“During that period, honourable members are to comply with the strict Covid-19 protocols and regulations,” he added, asking members and staff to get tested for the virus in two weeks.
Under previous Covid-19 restrictions announced on February 5, only one-third of members could sit in the chamber at any one time. The parliament organized for its members to be tested earlier this month, but some members declined, said Bagbin during a session on February 3.
The West African nation has recorded over 73,000 Covid-19 cases and 482 deaths, according to data from John Hopkins University.
Akufo-Addo announced new restrictions on January 31 which included a ban on funerals, weddings, concerts, theatrical performances and parties.
Schools re-opened last month, but few cases linked to that policy decision have been reported, said Akufo-Addo in a speech on January 31.
Ghana aims to vaccinate its entire population, initially targeting 20 million people, with the earliest vaccine available in March.