The National Assembly on Friday unanimously voted to extend the State of Emergency, declared on March 27 to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, by 45 days. 

It comes a day after Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Abubacarr Tambadou, tabled a government bill of motion seeking an extension of President Bartow’s 21 days state of emergency.

The public health emergency seeks to put measures to help curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

However, Friday’s sitting took the country’s lawmakers almost 15 hours before they approved the motion.

The lawmakers urged the government to come up with a compensatory mechanism to provide relief package to the most vulnerable during the times of restrictions. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba