Coronavirus: How Yieleh Chireh’s cough caused panic in Parliament

It was a hysterical moment when the sound of a cough was heard from Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, in Parliament today.

While addressing the August house, the former Health Minister coughed, an act which got MPs moving away in different directions in the Chamber.

The cough would have been ignored prior to the outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 but as one of the major symptoms of coronavirus, MPs instinctively moved away from their colleague.

Ghana is currently faced with six confirmed cases of the widespread virus, with over 150 people having had contact with the affected persons being observed.

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Addo Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, issued a directive that all outdoor events including funerals, Church activities and naming ceremonies, be suspended in the wake of coronavirus.

Schools have also been asked to close down temporarily for a period of 4 weeks.

These, according to Akufo-Addo, forms part of precautionary measures to fight the virus and prevent any more spread after the 6 confirmed cases in Ghana.

But the Minority in Parliament are of the view that government has not done enough to raise awareness as well sensitize Ghanaians on the viral disease.

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