Ghana tightens border as Cote D'Ivoire records suspected Coronavirus

Officials of the Ghana Health Service have announced intense scrutiny for visitors entering into the country from China and its neighbouring countries.

This directive is due to the reported case of a Coronavirus patient in Cote D'Ivoire over the weekend.

Speaking to the media on the directive, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Aboagye said the country will make sure a suspected case of the virus will not be recorded here.

Revealing some of the methods Ghanaian officials at any point of entry into the country will adopt, Dr. Aboagye said: "What we are doing is anyone who has a temperature of 38 degrees or more, has a history of fever, and having difficulty in breathing, coughing and has a history of traveling to China or any of the affected countries we will pay close attention to such person. We have sensitized all our port health staff."

Authorities in Cote d'Ivoire have tested the first person on the African continent for the Wuhan coronavirus, Cote d'Ivoire’s Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene said in a statement Sunday.

An Ivorian student who traveled from Beijing to Abidjan experienced symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and difficulty breathing, the ministry said.

The student was moved to a safe location on arrival at the airport and is currently under medical observation, the ministry said.

Authorities believe it is a case of pneumonia and not coronavirus, but the final diagnosis will be made after the analysis of the results of the test, the ministry said.