The Jubilee House has introduced a new seating arrangement at the presidency to help control the spread of the deadly coronavirus during meetings with the President.

Visitors, maximum 25, who have an official meeting with the President will not exchange pleasantries by means of shaking hands.

The seating arrangement layout is now designed to separate all visitors as much as possible so they do not get close contact with one another – this may help prevent the spread of the virus to minimize.

This new measure was effective when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, March 16, 2020, met with leaders of the country’s pharmaceutical and banking industries to discuss the way forward after Ghana recorded six [6] cases of COVID-19.

About coronavirus

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.