Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 05 Jan 2021, 09:08 pm Print
Tedros UN website
Geneva: The World Health Organization has said China blocked the arrival of its team to probe the origin of the COVID-19 disease which has now spread across the world.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying by CNN that two scientists of the United Nations team had already left their home countries for Wuhan when they were told that Chinese officials had not approved the necessary permissions to enter the country.
Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros https://t.co/V5P0EfuMOJ
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 5, 2021
The WHO chief siad he was 'disappointed' with the development.
"I am very disappointed with this news," Tedros was quoted as saying by CNN during a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.
He said: "I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials and I have once again made clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team."
Tedros said WHO was "eager to get the mission underway as soon as possible" and that he had been given assurances that Beijing was speeding up the internal procedure for "the earliest possible deployment."
- UN health experts believe more action is needed to beat malaria
- Study finds brisk walking pace and time spent at this speed may lower risk of heart rhythm abnormalities
- WHO reaches accord to make world safer from pandemics in future
- Health workers call for cleaner air to curb pollution deaths
- Armed men raped children as young as one during Sudan civil war
