Parliament has stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the House.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye has advised MPs to shun greeting by handshaking and physical contact.
Prof. Oquaye also said the House has placed hand sanitizers at vantage points in a bid to strengthen measures against the pandemic.
“Transmission has been identified particularly through handshaking and using the hands on the face. Sanitizers have been put at vantage points. We [parliamentarians] need to keep sanitizing our hands,” the Speaker said.
Cases in Ghana
As of Wednesday 11th March, 2020, officials in the country had recorded 57 suspected cases of the disease which have all proved negative.
This was announced by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo when he addressed the nation on Wednesday, 11th March, 2020, on the country’s preparedness for a possible hit of the disease within the country’s borders.
“Our country’s two main research institutions, the Noguchi Memorial Institute and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, which has the capacity to investigate and confirm or otherwise suspected cases of Coronavirus infections, have been very supportive in this regard. So far, they have found that the fifty-seven (57) suspected cases, as of Wednesday, 11th March, have proved negative,” he said.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has been directed to make available the cedi equivalent of US$100 million to enhance Ghana’s Coronavirus preparedness and response plan.
This amount, according to the President, “is to fund the expansion of infrastructure, purchase of materials and equipment, and public education”.
Citizens have been advised to desist from foreign travels as much as possible as the novel coronavirus assumes pandemic status.
This advice comes after the President temporarily suspended foreign travels for all government officials as part of the government’s measures to prevent an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Ghana.
Akufo-Addo urged officials to make use of technology during the travel ban.