China has blocked the arrival of a team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) sent to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic which allegedly started in Wuhan in 2019.
The Chinese government denied the WHO team entry into that country on the ground that the visas of the team members were yet to be approved.
WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was not pleased with China’s blockage, expressed dismay over the development.
In a statement issued yesterday, he urged China to allow the WHO team to enter the country.
Ghebreyesus said, “I’m very disappointed with this news, given that two members have already begun their journeys, and others were not able to travel at the last minute”.
“But I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials. And I have once again made it clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team”.
For the past few months, WHO has been attempting to send a team of health experts from across the world to China.
