A little over a thousand people have been mandatorily quarantined in connection with efforts by the government contain the outbreak of the coronavirus in Ghana, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has announced.

“We’ve also been testing persons in mandatory quarantine”, he told journalists at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Those being quarantined mandatorily came into the country just before the closure of Ghana’s ports and entry points on Sunday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo announced on Saturday that as part of the measures against the virus, “Firstly, all our borders, that is by land, sea and air, will be closed to human traffic for the next two weeks, beginning midnight on Sunday”.

“Anybody who comes into the country, before midnight on Sunday, will be mandatorily quarantined and tested for the virus”, he noted.

“This closure will not apply to goods, supplies and cargo”, the President said.

So far, Ghana has confirmed cases of coronavirus with two deaths.