COVID-19 victim's relative demands to meet WHO experts in Wuhan

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) team of independent experts has arrived in China to investigate the origins of a novel coronavirus. As per the reports by Associated Press, a relative of COVID-19 victim is demanding to meet the experts along with other affected families who he alleged are being silenced by the Chinese government. The WHO team arrived in Wuhan, where the disease first reportedly originated in 2019 and is expected to commence work later this week following a 14-day quarantine. 

The WHO visit is taking place only after China approved it following months of negotiations. However, it still remains unclear if the experts will be allowed to talk either to the patients or the families of the victims. Amid the speculative reports that China tried to cover up crucial information regarding the novel coronavirus during the early days of the pandemic, Zhang Hai, whose father died of COVID-19 on February 1 last year after travelling to Wuhan and getting infected, termed it ‘criminal act’. Saying that he hopes the WHO team is not used as a “tool to spread lies”,  Zhang noted that the impacted families are “searching for the truth.”

“I hope the WHO experts don’t become a tool to spread lies,” said Zhang Hai as quoted by The Associated Press. “We’ve been searching for the truth relentlessly. This was a criminal act, and I don’t want the WHO to be coming to China to cover up these crimes.”

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Zhang says 'Wuhan govt silencing relatives'

Zhang, a Wuhan native now lives in the southern city of Shenzhen and has been reportedly organising relatives of COVID-19 victims in China to demand accountability from the authorities. Many people are furious with government downplaying the novel coronavirus during the early days of the outbreak, which is also a crucial time to slow a potential pandemic. Meanwhile, several others have reportedly attempted to file lawsuits against the Wuhan government but have dismissed the legal complaints, owing to pressure from authorities, said Zhang. 

Zhang also said that he along with others have been threatened repeatedly to fire the relatives who speak to the foreign media outlets. Even the chat groups of the relatives of coronavirus victims, he said, have been shut down shortly after the arrival of WHO team in Wuhan. Zhang has also accused the city’s government of silencing the impacted people. 

“Don’t pretend that we don’t exist, that we aren’t seeking accountability,” Zhang said. “You obliterated all our platforms, but we still want to let everyone know through the media that we haven’t given up.”

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