Gabon's presidential spokesperson contracts coronavirus

DAKAR, Senegal

Gabon's presidential spokesman Jessye Ella Ekogha has tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a post on Twitter, Ekogha said he is experiencing mild symptoms for the time being and is self-quarantining, adding he made the announcement on the social media site for reasons of transparency.

He invited all Gabonese to wear masks and to comply with hygiene and social distancing rules.

Gabon currently has 4,229 cases of the virus.

A total of 1,505 people have recovered while 30 have died from the illness.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 448,000 people worldwide, with more than 8.3 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 4 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.