Addis Getachew
12 March 2020•Update: 12 March 2020
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
The African Union Commission has temporarily suspended any meeting under its auspices amid widespread fears of coronavirus.
Anadolu Agency has learnt about the new directive from facilitators of a scheduled meeting that was supposed to be held this morning, but cancelled.
"Any meeting involving 15 people and above won't be taking place," the facilitator told Anadolu Agency.
The suspension of the meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council was announced to journalists who gathered at the Old Building at the last minute.
It is a soothingly breathy morning and well before 10 a.m. (0700GMT) that Anadolu Agency journalists arrived at the plenary hall of the peace and security building on the premises of the African Union Commission to be greeted by African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel wearing green uniform jackets and that familiar tool to detect body temperatures.
All the journalists were given disinfectant solutions and were shown inside the plenary hall that was unusually deserted even though interpreters were seen behind glass screens preparing for the meeting.
“It is a good decision to temporarily ban such meetings because the World Health Organization (WHO) already declared the coronavirus a global pandemic,” a CDC worker opined to Anadolu Agency shaking the disinfectant bottle she was holding.
The meeting was titled Open Session of the AU Peace and Security Council on the Implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration in the Promotion of Education for Children Affected by Armed Conflicts in Africa.
Twelve of the 55 African nations have already confirmed coronavirus in their territories with a total of 104 cases and one death.
The global death toll is now almost 4,600, with more than 124,500 confirmed cases, according to the WHO.
