Ghana Shuts Down Parliament After 168 Lawmakers Sign Formal COVID-19 Contract

Ghana’s parliament is reportedly closed.

Parliament was closed on Tuesday for at least three weeks due to an increase in Covid-19 cases among lawmakers and parliament staff.

House Speaker Alban Bagbin announced that the legislature will be on hiatus until March 2 to make way for “disinfection and sanitization of premises.”

At least 17 MPs and 151 support staff have been infected with the coronavirus, which has already forced lawmakers to restrict their meetings.

“I decided, in agreement with the management, to postpone the session of the Assembly for three weeks,” the speaker announced.

This West African country has confirmed a total of 73,003 coronavirus cases, 482 deaths and over 65,000 recoveries.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has banned major public gatherings such as funerals, weddings and parties, and the country’s land and sea borders have remained closed to human trafficking since March 2020.