Covid-19: There're Adequate Measures To Protect MPs

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, says Parliament has put in place adequate measures to safeguard parliamentarians from COVID-19.

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh in an interview on Thursday called for the House to sit in batches or convene intermittently only when there are critical issues in the House to protect Members of Parliament (MP).

He also kicked against the recall of the House without the necessary nuances to protect members against the virus.

But speaking to Citi News, Mr. Osei Owusu who is also the MP for Bekwai said Parliament has the situation under the control.

“So far we have taken steps to ensure that, it is impracticable for one to infect the other. Parliament has provided face masks for every member and staff. We have provided hand sanitizers and other hand washing equipment at all entrances of Parliament. Even all members are not in the chamber at the same time. It doesn’t even happen. Some are at committee meetings, others are doing parliamentary works elsewhere out of the chamber. So the kind of congestion is totally not present.”

Parliament is scheduled to resume sittings for the second meeting for this session on May 19, 2020, in spite of a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the country.

The House adjourned sittings on May 1, 2020, after a series of emergency meetings necessitated by the pandemic.

As of Friday, [15th April 2020] Ghana's novel coronavirus cases have risen to 5,638 with recoveries also rising to 1,460 .