Former president Jerry John Rawlings has on Friday announced the immediate closure of his office due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Ghana.

“The decision which is aimed at protecting staff and potential visitors will be reviewed after two weeks,” a statement from his office read.

The statement, however, did not mention if a case has been detected in the office or otherwise.

It added: “The former President once again urges all Ghanaians to be mindful of their personal discipline and care as we work to combat the disease. He calls on all to wear their masks, maintain appropriate social distancing, cough etiquette and general hygiene protocols.

“Members of the general public who wish to urgently contact the office can do so through email – office@presidentrawlings.com, kobbyandoh@gmail.com.”

COVID-19 cases in Ghana

Ghana on Thursday recorded 641 new COVID-19 cases bringing the country’s case count to 23,463.

These new cases were recorded in 52 districts across eight regions, according to the Ghana Health Service.

Over 1,400 new cases have been recorded in the last two updates from the Ghana Health Service.

The number of discharged persons after treatment has also gone up to 18,622 with 4,717 active cases remaining.

Of the confirmed cases of the virus, 9,403 were detected through routine surveillance whilst the other 14,060 were detected from contact tracing.

Three hundred and twenty-two thousand, nine hundred and ten tests have been conducted with a majority being conducted via contact tracing.

The Greater Accra Region accounted for 388 of the new cases which are in 16 out of 29 districts.

According to the service, the majority of the cases in the Greater Accra Region are from Korle Klottey, La Dadekotopon, the Accra Metro, Ayawaso West, Ledzokuku and Tema, which have been previously identified as hotspots.

The Ashanti Region had 148 new cases from 18 out of 43 districts.