Students of the University of Ghana have been asked by school authorities to stay behind, get examined and cleared by the school’s health services before leaving for their various homes.

This follows a directive by President Akufo-Addo Sunday night for public gatherings to be banned including schools and universities.

In a statement signed by the Registrar, management of the university announced its closure effective Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice.

According to the communique, students are to “stay behind to be examined and cleared by the University of Ghana Health Services before they can leave.”

The institution has also urged other members of the university community who show any symptoms of the common cold to call for assistance.

Read the full statement below.

The Director of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Badu Sarkodie on March 15 announced, that a student had tested positive of the coronavirus after her return from a trip to the US for a family emergency.

This account was corroborated by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Ebenezer Oduro Owusu.

Addressing the University community on Sunday, the VC said the recorded case involved “one of our non-resident students who returned from an international trip.”

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has given students a March 21, 2020 deadline to leave campus as part of measures to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus.

A statement sighted bu JoyNews indicates a total lockdown of halls of residence after the stipulated time frame.

International students are, however, exempted from this directive until further notice.

The University of Cape Coast has also joined the fray of educational institutions complying with President Akufo-Addo's instruction to shut down over the novel coronavirus.

The decision, according to a statement signed by the Registrar, John Kofi Nyan, was taken by the Executive Committee of the Academic Board at an emergency meeting on March 16, 2020.