Ghanaian students in Italy have been quarantined following the rise of new cases of the novel coronavirus recorded in the country.In an interview, a Ghanaian student based in Milan, name withheld, said that the authorities have undertaken the action to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.“At the moment we are on quarantine and we have been informed that it will last for at least a week. They [authorities] will assess the situation and see if we need more days off or not.“So far school activities have been halted, we do not have lecturers we do everything online now. Certain workplaces have been shut down; pubs, restaurants, masses for churches,” she said.She, however, indicated that the Ghanaian Embassy in Italy has not engaged students on the way forward.Italy is one of three global hot-spots outside China alongside Iran and South Korea.According to Italy’s Health Ministry, more than 4,100 people have been tested and a total of 270 cases have been confirmed by Tuesday morning.The COVID-19 virus has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) and warned that countries should prepare for a possible pandemic.The death toll from the coronavirus is now more than 2,700 worldwide, with the majority being in mainland China.There have been more than 80,000 recorded cases globally.