ACCRA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed late Friday the lockdown of three Ghanaian cities for two weeks starting from next Monday.
The areas to be affected include the capital Accra, Tema, and the second-largest city Kumasi, where the cases of COOVID-19 have been recorded.
The Ghana Health Service has identified these cities as the hotbeds for the infections.
"Under the prevailing circumstances, we need stricter measures to contain and halt the spread of the virus within our country," the president said in his late-night announcement.
Akufo-Addo expressed satisfaction that the travel restrictions imposed a week earlier had helped to halt the further importation of the infection into Ghana.
The order, however, exempted the executive, legislature, and judiciary from the lockdown. It also excluded what he described as some essential services.
As of Saturday morning, the country has recorded 137 confirmed cases with four deaths.
