Agyemang-Badu slams Ghanaians over poor coronavirus awareness

Italy-based midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has hit out at Ghanaians over their lack of awareness amidst the coronvirus pandemic insisting the deadly disease outbreak globally has become a matter of jokes in his home country.

Ghana has so far recorded six cases of COVID-19 within two days and the Hellas Verona star who plies his trade in one of the hardest hit countries thinks it is about time the West African country takes matters seriously.

On Sunday, President Nana Akufo-Addo banned all public gatherings including the ongoing Ghana Premier League for the next four weeks as part of measures to stop the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

"I think as Ghanaians we joke a lot with very serious issues. I have been reading on social media how people are circulating fake news and playing with it,” Badu said on Angel FM.

“This is how Italians started with it and now the whole country is at standstill.

“It is never true that coronavirus doesn't infect black people. As I speak, two black footballers have contracted it in Italy. Myself, I have been placed under self-isolation because my club faced a club that's got 8 players testing positive.

"If I need anything, you just have to put on club WhatsApp page so that club physio will buy for you.

"For one week now, I'm in the house alone and even the team physio who buys me groceries is not allowed to get in contact with me. He just places them at my doorstep and disappears. It is a very scary and sad situation here."

Badu left Udinese to join fellow Italian side Hellas Verona on a season-long loan deal in the summer.

Last week, the Italian government launched an all-out battle against its coronavirus outbreak: The entire country, home to over 60 million people, is on lockdown.

The coronavirus has infected 15,113 people and killed at least 1,016 in Italy as of Friday.

Although nearly 65% of all recorded coronavirus cases worldwide have been in China, Italy is the hardest-hit nation outside of Asia.