The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has engaged countries that have recently been affected by the deadly coronavirus.
One of such recently affected areas is Milan in Italy where some Ghanaian students who have been affected by the lockdown, have since expressed frustration.
Some other affected areas in Italy include Veneto and Lombardy where Milan is located.
Even though the situation in Milan has not escalated into what is being experienced by students in China, the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Owiredu has told Citi News, that the Ministry has already engaged the embassy in Italy to monitor the situation.
“We spoke to our mission in Rome to see how they can engage the student community in Milan and the surrounding areas. My understanding is that immediately they are going to do that. But if you look at how the virus is spreading, it is not only in Milan. So we have alerted all our missions to start having engagements so that if anything happens, the authorities will be able to identify them to offer them support. So we will expect our mission in Rome to do the same.”
One of the Ghanaian students spoke to Citi News and noted that all public activity in her area had come to a halt.
“As far as lectures [are concerned], schools are now trying to start online classes,” she said.
In her case, authorities have urged residents to plan with the lockdown in mind.
“We are supposed to be on lockdown until March 1. Prior to that, we were advised to go shopping and stock up on groceries to last the period of the lockdown,” she said.
Coronavirus outside china
Italy is one of three global hot-spots outside China alongside Iran and South Korea.
In Iran, less than 100 people have officially been infected but it is feared that the numbers are more alarming.
More than 1,000 people have been infected in South Korea with 10 deaths.
The novel coronavirus has been declared a global health emergency.
But the World Health Organization has warned that countries should prepare for a possible pandemic.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus is now more than 2,700 worldwide, with the majority being in mainland China.
There have been more than 80,000 global cases.
