Published 11:11 IST, April 9th 2020
WHO chief warns against 'politicisation' of COVID-19 pandemic amid criticism
WHO chief warned against politicising COVID-19 on April 9 after the UN health agency drew criticism from several corners for alleged lack of transparency.
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World Health Organisation (WHO) chief warned against politicising COVID-19 after the UN health agency drew criticism from several corners for alleged lack of transparency. The controversy escalated when US President Donald Trump threatened to withhold funds for giving “faulty recommendations” on the evolving situation around the novel coronavirus.
During a press conference on April 8, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advised not to waste time pointing fingers, and work across party lines and religious lines. Recalling the fight against smallpox when the United States and the former Soviet Union came together, WHO chief said the US and China should come together to fight the "dangerous enemy".
“My short message is, please quarantine politicizing COVID,” emphasised the WHO chief while responding to the criticism levelled against the UN body.
Severe criticism over COVID-19
The UN health agency has been facing criticism for not providing adequate information regarding the pandemic and former NSA John Bolton also accused WHO of acting as an “accomplice” to China in concealing information related to coronavirus pandemic. Taking to Twitter, Bolton had demanded the resignation of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's Director-General. He asserted that Ghebreyesus "misled" the world by trusting a “communist regime intent.”
The @WHO is an accomplice to China's massive coverup of Covid19. That's why I support efforts by @marcorubio & @tedcruz pushing for resignation of WHO director general. He misled the world by blindly trusting a communist regime intent on deception.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) April 6, 2020
Last week, Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro slammed the WHO saying it should be renamed as 'China Health Organization' or 'CHO' as he accused the UN body of giving in to China’s spin about the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to the Japanese lawmakers in the parliament, Taro referenced an online petition calling for the removal of WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He further said that if the WHO had not insisted to the world that China had no pneumonia epidemic, then everybody would have taken precautions.
(Image Credit: Twitter / @DrTedros)
11:21 IST, April 9th 2020