[ad_1]
April 27, 2020 – 01:32 p. m.
AFP
The world “should have listened” to the World Health Organization (WHO) when it raised the alarm about the new coronavirus in late January, its boss said Monday, stressing that the institution cannot compel countries to follow its recommendations. .
While the WHO is criticized by the United States for the slowness of its reaction to the new coronavirus, its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, defended, once again, its action.
Asked about the lack of confidence policy advocated by President Jair Bolsonaro when Brazil has not yet reached the peak of the pandemic, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO “has no mandate to compel countries to implement what we advise them to do.”
Also read: Global air traffic would take two to three years to normalize, says Boeing director
“The world should have listened carefully to WHO because the global emergency started on January 30,” with 82 cases and no deaths outside of China, he told reporters in Geneva.
“And we had advised everyone to apply a comprehensive approach to public health. We had said that cases should be sought, tested, isolated, and contacts sought. The countries that followed the advice are in a better position than the others, it is a fact, “he said.
“Each country could have implemented all these possible measures. I think it is enough to show the importance of listening to the WHO’s advice,” he insisted.
The new coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 207,000 people worldwide since its appearance in China in December, according to an AFP balance sheet from official sources.
Washington, which accuses the WHO of mishandling the pandemic and of being slow to alert so as not to offend Beijing, froze its financial contribution to the organization.
Faced with this criticism, the WHO chief has repeatedly defended the organization and on Monday insisted on “ensuring that we will continue to provide advice based on science and evidence. It will be up to countries whether to follow them or not.”
[ad_2]
