Two opposition Members of Parliament (MP), Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Mahama Ayariga, have called for the suspension of parliamentary sittings over the coronavirus outbreak in Ghana.

MP for Bawku Central, Mr Ayariga said this is in respect of the directive by the president that all public gatherings should stop.

“I am of the view that if we are going to respect the president’s directive that a gathering should not exceed 25, and we are 275, plus the Speaker and clerks, then we should also not be sitting. That’s what I think. Under the rules, the speaker can designate how we can sit differently.”

He noted that lawmakers being infected will be dangerous for the country because they interact with a wide range of people.

“If we prevent ourselves from being infected, we will be saving others because we interact with a lot of our constituents,” he told Accra-based Joy FM.

For his part the Juaboso MP, Mr Akandoh said: “We should be working, but congregating or coming together on the floor of the house, I believe, is not the best

Meanwhile, the government has placed a ban on all social gatherings including conferences, workshops, church and mosque services, festivals and funerals for the next four weeks as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.