The Ghanaian National Assembly will remain closed for a period of three weeks following a Covid-19 outbreak that affected MPs and staff. The sessions are therefore suspended until further notice.
Ghana’s bicameral parliament has decided to suspend its sessions because of the health crisis that has affected several MPs. “I have decided, in consultation with political leaders, that the session of the Assembly will be adjourned for three weeks,” said President Alban Bagbin on Tuesday. A decision made to allow “disinfection and sanitation of premises”.
At least 17 parliamentarians and 151 National Assembly staff members were tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Dozens of cases were initially discovered. This forced parliamentarians to reduce their meetings to two sessions per week.
Yet Ghana has taken some pretty drastic measures to stop the spread of the virus. Indeed, gatherings (funerals, weddings and parties) are prohibited throughout the territory. The country’s land and sea borders have been closed to human trafficking since March 2020. Access to beaches, nightclubs and cinemas was also prohibited.
However, the schools reopened in January after a 10-month closure. President Nana Akufo-Addo warned in early February that a return to stricter measures was needed.
73,003 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 482 deaths, have occurred since the outbreak of the pandemic in Ghana
