The Coronavirus Testing Centre, which was established at Parliament House to conduct testing for Members of Parliament and staff, has so far tested 690 people.

These persons included construction workers, journalists as well as some visitors.

The Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye, on Wednesday, May 20, directed the Medical Directorate of the legislative body to conduct mandatory tests for all the 275 MPs, their research assistants, staff of Parliament and other auxiliary workers.

The exercise is yet to be concluded but leaked information to the media on Tuesday, May 26 suggested three MPs and some staff of Parliament have tested positive for the virus.

Parliament, however, denied the report, saying the results were not known and so the report by a section of the media was false.

But speaking to the issue on Onua TV’s Maakye jointly hosted by Bright Kwasi Asempa and Adwoa Konadu-Yiadom on Wednesday, Medical Director of Parliament House Dr. Prince Pambo said the exercise will continue till Friday.

He said “parliamentary correspondents, the press corps, workers of construction at Parliament, everyone who comes within the corridors of the Parliament and visitors who visit their MPs are also being tested”.

‘Fake news’

Dr. Pambo said the media house that published that “fake” news has been asked to pull it down and hope the National Media Commission (NMC) would intervene.

“The one who did the story has been asked to pull down the story and the [National] Media Commission will be petitioned. The journalist did not do the right thing.”



How many MPs tested so far?

The Medical Director said the exercise is not to distinguish the number of MPs who have been tested therefore they cannot put out the number of MPs who have undergone the testing so far.

“We are protecting the larger people so we will not let out the results of these MPs should they test positive. We don’t distinguish between MP and others”.