China condemns Mike Pompeo for terming COVID-19 as 'Wuhan virus'

China on March 9 condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for branding the novel coronavirus as “Wuhan virus.” According to reports, China, which is now struggling from imported coronavirus cases, termed Pompeo’s remarks as “despicable behaviour” claiming that it was an attempt to stigmatise the nation, international media reported. 

Pompeo, on March 6 reportedly referred to COVID-19 as 'Wuhan Virus' and also blamed Beijing for not sharing enough information regarding the virus. Replying to his remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang while speaking at a media briefing said,

"Certain U.S. politicians turning a blind eye to science and the decision of the WHO has rushed to stigmatise China and Wuhan under the pretext of COVID-19. We condemn such despicable behaviour."

Previously, Pompeo while talking to an American media outlet had said that it was the “Wuhan coronavirus” that had caused this adding that the information that they had got on the front end wasn’t “perfect.” He added that it had been incredibly frustrating to work with the Chinese communist party and to get their hands around the data set.

Election campaigns to continue 

This comes as Presidential hopefuls Biden, Trump, and Sanders have reportedly said that they will continue their rallies as planned. According to public health experts, large scale rallies are breeding grounds for potentially deadly illnesses. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on March 8 claimed that his campaign was considering when it would be prudent to cancel large campaign rallies. 

Read: Markets Plunge, Northern Italy Locked Down As Virus Spreads

Read: Odisha Gets First Coronavirus Testing Facility In Bhubanshwar, No Positive Cases Yet

According to reports, Bernie Sanders claimed in a series of interviews that the most important thing is the protection of the health of the American people and that his campaign was in talks with public health officials from all over the nation. Sanders added that this was an issue that every organisation and every candidate had to face.

As per reports, federal health authorities have advised older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions to avoid crowded places because they are more at risk from the virus. Fear of the Coronavirus has already led to the cancellation of music and arts festivals and other events around the country. 

Read: Coronavirus: 2 Visitors Test Positive At AIPAC Conference Attended By Mike Pence, Pompeo

Read: US Presidential Hopefuls To Continue Election Campaigns Despite Coronavirus Risks