“I have decided, in consultation with the leadership, to adjourn the House meeting for three weeks,” said House speaker Alban Bagbin on Tuesday.
Seventeen MPs and 151 staff and auxiliaries have been infected with the virus. Parliament will be suspended from Wednesday to March 2, while the buildings will be disinfected and sanitized.
“During that time, honorable members must adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols and regulations,” said Bagbin. He asked members and staff to get tested for the virus within two weeks.
Under previous Covid-19 restrictions announced February 5, only a third of the members could sit in the room at a time. Parliament arranged for its members to be tested earlier this month, but some members refused, Bagbin said during a session Feb. 3.
According to data from John Hopkins University, the West African nation has recorded more than 73,000 cases of Covid-19 and 482 deaths.
Akufo-Addo announced new restrictions on Jan. 31, including bans on funerals, weddings, concerts, theater performances and parties.
“In fact, fellow Ghanaians, we have a lot of work to do to master the disease,” he said in a speech. “Given that recent studies show that the UK and other new variants are being carried over within the population, we all need to understand that our current situation can become very dire if no efforts are made, both on the part of the government and you , the bourgeoisie., to help control the virus. ”
Ghana wants to vaccinate its entire population, initially targeting 20 million people, with the earliest vaccine available in March.