President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has directed the bank’s staff to work from home as a precaution to the coronavirus.
In a series of tweets early Friday, Mr Adesina also said all official travels are cancelled.
“Given coronavirus situation, I have taken extraordinary measures to protect the African Development Bank, staff, families and operations. 1. All official travels are cancelled. 2. All meetings are cancelled. 3. All staff to work from home. 4. All visits to the bank are cancelled,” he said.
Adesina added: “The African Development Bank has now gone totally virtual: All staff work from home, virtually. Board meetings have gone virtual. The more we reduce physical contact the safer we all will be. Please stay safe and well, everyone. Your health and safety is my number one priority.”
In Africa, 16 people have died from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus: six in Egypt, six in Algeria, two in Morocco, one in Sudan and one in Burkina Faso.
Head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has advised Africa to ‘wake up’ to the coronavirus threat and prepare for the worst.
