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COVID-19: Minority Chief Whip confirms 2 MPs, 13 staff of parliament have tested positive

COVID-19: Minority Chief Whip confirms 2 MPs, 13 staff of parliament have tested positive

Minority Chief Whip Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka has disclosed that two legislators and 13 staff of parliament have, indeed, tested positive for Covid-19 after the legislators and parliamentary staff underwent mandatory testing.

The victims were notified after a mass testing of lawmakers and staff of the house, Mr Mubarak said.

Confirming the news, the Asawase lawmaker said: “This is what happens when they finished the testing. Initially, they were calling one-on-one and they had this discussion with us…that: ‘Look, the numbers are huge, this is what we want to do; can you put on your platform that all those who do not receive calls from us [but were] tested on Wednesday, if by Saturday you have not received a call from us, they should assume they’re negative and we’ll only call those who are positive.’”

He continued: “When they tested Wednesday and Thursday, on Wednesday, one MP and one staff tested positive and on Thursday, one MP and 12 staff tested positive.  They have to do contact-tracing; they have to isolate these persons.”

Asked if the infected MPs and staff had been isolated, Mr Muntaka answered: “Yes. So far as I’m concerned, that has been done and they are now continuing with the contact-tracing…”  

The Minority Chief Whip made these revelations in an interview on Accra-based Joy Prime.

On Tuesday, the Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo, denied reports that some MPs and staff had contracted the virus.

For his part, the Majority Leader of Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said he was not aware that any member of the legislature had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Speaking at a press conference later in the day, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: “What we agreed to do was that anybody who tested positive, the information will not be transmitted to all of us. It is between the person and the people who did the test. Some confidentiality is required”.

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