GENEVA 12 March 2020: The World Health Organisation (WHO), sees the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pandemic, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
According to Reuters and Wam, he told a press conference, “We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.”
India suspends visas to contain the spread of Covid-19
NEW DELHI: India last night announced new, far-reaching steps to contain the spread of Coronavirus or Covid-19 by suspending all visas for inbound travel except diplomatic, official and a few other categories.
“All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, United Nations and other international organisations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a late night statement.
The US has suspended travel from Europe [except from UK] for 30 days due to coronavirus.
The suspension will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the point of departure.
The latest order means UAE nationals who have been planning to travel to India will have to postpone their travel until April 15 as of now. UAE passport-holders were eligible so far to get visas on arrival in India.
Overseas citizens of India (OCI), will also not be allowed to board planes bound for India till tonight’s order is revoked. OCI is a category of people of Indian origin who have changed their nationality and are given special passport-like cards that allow them to travel without the need for visas into India.
Simultaneously, Indians have been advised by their government to avoid travelling abroad. The authorities here said Indians arriving at airports in India may be subject to 14 days quarantine as a preventive measure.
Potential for 70% infection rate in Germany, says Merkel
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly told her government ministers that up to 70 percent of Germany could become infected with the coronavirus, Covid-19.
According to German newspaper, Bild, Merkel told Parliament on Tuesday that 60 percent to 70 percent of the country’s population could contract the coronavirus.
Germany already has more than 1,600 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and has previously announced two deaths as a result of the epidemic.
Indonesia records first death from coronavirus
JAKARTA: A 53-year-old woman has died from coronavirus in Indonesia, the first recorded death from the virus in the Southeast Asian country, Reuters has quoted a health ministry official as saying on Wednesday.
The woman, a foreign national, had already been in critical condition when she was admitted to a hospital, said Achmad Yurianto, the health ministry official.
Yurianto did not say where the woman was from or in what hospital or city she had died, but said her home country’s embassy was aware of her death and would arrange to have her body repatriated.
Indonesia has 26 other confirmed coronavirus patients.
First coronavirus death in Belgium
BRUSSELS: Belgium’s health ministry reported on Wednesday the first coronavirus death in the country, Belga News Agency said citing a statement.
The government statement said the patient was 90 years old.
UNWTO, WHO agree to further cooperation
GENEVA: Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), led a high- delegation to the World Health Organization, headquarters in Geneva to further advance the two agencies’ coordinated response to the worldwide Coronavirus, Covid-19, outbreak.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the delegation to Geneva and thanked UNWTO for its close collaboration since the very start of the ongoing public health emergency. On the back of the productive meetings, the heads of both United Nations agencies stressed the need to include the following guiding principles: The importance of international cooperation and responsible leadership at this critical time; the solidarity of the tourism sector and of individual tourists, as well as the responsibility both have for helping minimize the spread and impact of Covid-19 and the key role tourism can play in both containing the Covid-19 outbreak and in leading future response efforts.
Pololikashvili said: “The Covid-19 outbreak is first and foremost a public health issue. UNWTO is following the lead of WHO, with whom we have enjoyed an excellent working relationship from day one. This meeting reaffirmed the importance of strong cooperation and international solidarity and I welcome the Director-General’s recognition of the role tourism can play both now and in the future.”
Pololikashvili and Dr Tedros confirmed the two UN agencies’ commitment to ensuring any response to Covid-19 is proportionate, measured and based on the latest public health recommendations.
Pololikashvili added that the tourism value chain touches upon every part of society. This makes tourism uniquely placed to promote solidarity, collaboration and concrete action across borders in these challenging times and also ideally positioned to once again drive future recovery.
At the same time, the heads of UNWTO and WHO called for responsible communications and reporting of the worldwide Covid-19 outbreak. The UN agencies stress the importance of ensuring all communications and actions are evidence-based so as to avoid stigmatizing sections of society and spreading panic.
UNWTO will also communicate with other UN bodies, including ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and the IMO (International Maritime Organization), and with IATA (International Air Transport Association) and with key sector stakeholders to ensure tourism’s response is coordinated and consistent.
