UN Human Rights chief urges countries to respect rights of quarantined people

United Nations Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet in a statement reportedly said that quarantine against the deadly coronavirus should only be used by countries only when needed. While addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Bachelet said that the right of those in quarantine must be respected.

Human Rights must be respected 

During her address, Bachelet hailed all the medical teams around the world that were battling the virus that has infected more than 100,242 people and killed almost 3,500 people worldwide. She added that respect for human rights needs to go side by side with the response against coronavirus.

According to reports, Bachelet was referring to the widespread use of quarantine in order to halt the spread of the virus. She claimed that quarantines that hinder a person's right to freedom should be proportionate to the risk, time-bound and safe. She also said their rights to food and clean water and the right to be treated humanely must be respected.

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Bachelet during her address also raised her voice for what she described as vulnerable groups like older people. Which China still accounts for the most number of cases owing to the fact that the virus first appeared there, but infections across the globe are rising with countries like South Korea, Iran and Italy turning into major virus hotspots.

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Italy which has emerged as a major cluster for the coronavirus has the biggest outbreak in Europe and it has schools and universities to close down till March 154.  Italy has 3,858 reported cases and 148 deaths due to the deadly coronavirus. Another European country, France has reported a sharp rise in cases. It now has over 400 cases and seven deaths in the country.
Iran has become the epicentre of the virus in the middle east with almost 5,000 reported cases in the country and a total of 124 deaths.