Confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country have risen to 16 the Ghana Health Service has confirmed.

In a statement, the GHS said: Five (5) new confirmed cases on the 19th March 2020. All five were reported from Greater Accra Region.

--- 29-year-old Ghanaian lady; resident of Accra; no history of travel; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory

--- 34-year-old Ghanaian lady resident of Accra; contact of a confirmed case at place of work; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory

--- 53-year-old Ghanaian male, resident of Tema; no history of travel, no evidence of close contact with confirmed case; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory

--- 41-year-old Ghanaian male; arrived in Ghana by KLM on the 15 March 2020; indicated exposure with family members in Amsterdam exhibiting respiratory symptoms and also on the flight with some passengers sneezing and coughing; sample confirmed positive in the laboratory.

--- 36-year-old Ghanaian male; resident of Paris, France; date of arrival in Ghana unconfirmed; no evidence of contact with infected person;

This brings to a total of sixteen (16) confirmed cases in Ghana, with no death.

Contact tracing has been initiated in all these confirmed cases.

The government has placed a ban on all social gatherings to prevent further spread of the virus.