Coronavirus: Don’t shake hands – Speaker to MPs

The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Prof Mike Oquaye has urged MPs to stop shaking hands as efforts are made to stave off the coronavirus pandemic from entering Ghana.

Also, he said Parliament has provided hand sanitisers at vantage points for use by the MPs.

“Transmission has been identified, particularly through handshaking and using the hands on the face. Sanitisers have been put at vantage points. We [parliamentarians] need to keep sanitising our hands,” the Speaker said on Thursday, 12 March 2020.

Ghana’s neighbours, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ivory Coast and Nigeria have all recorded cases of the virus.

On Wednesday, President Nana Akufo-Addo addressed the nation about Ghana’s preparedness against the virus.

He said the Finance Minister, on his orders, have released $100 million to prepare against the virus.

Mr Akufo-Addo has also urged Ghanaians to stop shaking hands.

Also, he said he has placed travel restrictions on his appointees.