Coronavirus: Parliament At War

Parliament, yesterday, closed its public gallery to the public as part of sweeping restrictions on movement of guests on its premises to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The closure, which is in tandem with the President's directives—banning public gatherings, was unanimously agreed by Members of Parliament (MPs) last Friday after the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, had made suggestion to that effect.

The MPs said such a move was in the interest of the safety of the legislature and members of the general public as a whole.

It is, however, unclear how long the closure of the public gallery will last, but the Speaker, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, said the parliamentary service was ready to take all the preventive measures to safeguard MPs from contracting the virus on the premises of Parliament.

So far, Parliament has instituted the testing of body temperature of all MPs and media practitioners as they enter the House, besides the banning of handshakes and the regular use of sanitizers.