“I have decided in consultation with the leadership that the sitting of the House should be suspended for three weeks,” House Speaker Alban Bagbin said on Tuesday.
17 MPs and 151 staff and aid workers were infected with the virus. Parliament will be adjourned from Wednesday to March 2 while the premises are disinfected and disinfected.
“During that period, honorary members must adhere to the strict Covid-19 protocols and regulations,” Bagbin said. He asked members and staff to be tested for the virus within two weeks.
Under previous Covid-19 restrictions announced on Feb. 5, only one-third of members could sit in the room at a time. Parliament had arranged for members to be tested earlier this month, but some members refused, Bagbin said during a Feb. 3 session.
According to John Hopkins University data, the West African nation has recorded more than 73,000 Covid-19 cases and 482 deaths.
On January 31, Akufo-Addo announced new restrictions that include funerals, weddings, concerts, theater performances and parties.
“In fact, fellow Ghanaians, we have a lot of work to do to tackle the disease,” he said in a speech. “As recent studies show that the UK and other new variants are being transmitted within the population, we must all understand that our current situation can be very dire if no efforts are made, both by the government and by you, the citizens, to help control the virus. ‘
Ghana aims to vaccinate its entire population, initially targeting 20 million people, with the earliest vaccine available in March.