The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu says he is unable to confirm reports that some Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, ordered for the immediate mass testing of MPs and staff of the House for Coronavirus.
690 samples were collected by health officials in Parliament following the directive.
Although the Parliament’s Medical Service Directorate had said the results will not be made public, media reports on Tuesday suggested that some of the MPs had tested positive for the virus.
But the Majority Leader in an interview said: “The Director of Parliaments Medical Services is the only person who will know if any member of Parliament test positive for COVID-19 and the information then will be transmitted to the individual Member of Parliament or staff. So as I stand here, I don’t know if anybody has tested positive so that’s it and I don’t know anybody who will tell you that he/she knows that somebody has tested positive.”
“So I have told you the official position so if anyone tells you a member or two or three have tested positive for the disease, ask the person for the source and please that is the official position,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Oquaye earlier today threatened sanctions for persons who work within Parliament but fail to test for COVID-19.
The testing team has been asked to return to Parliament to test all persons who were not available for their samples to be taken last week.
MPs’ COVID-19 test results won’t be made public – Medical Services Director
The Director of Medical Services in Parliament, Dr. Prince Pambo has said the results of the tests will not be made public.
He said the results will instead be made known individually to the persons tested without the involvement of Parliament.
“The exercise was meant not only for Members of Parliament but the staff of Parliament as well and other support staff who have a duty in the parliamentary precinct and the results will be made known to them individually,” he said.
