Australia PM Morrison says all WHO members should support proposed COVID-19 inquiry

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that all the members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) should cooperate with the proposed independent inquiry into the spread of coronavirus. Morrison had earlier talked to several world leaders including US President Donald Trump to gather support for an inquiry into the origins of the virus.

During a press conference on April 23, Morrison said that the inquiry into the virus outbreak is necessary so that the world can learn the lessons. He said that though the world is in the middle of the pandemic, Australia would have cooperated with such an inquiry irrespective of its timing. Morrison added that any member of the WHO should understand its responsibility in participating in such an organisation.

“If you're going to be a member of a club like the World Health Organization, there should be obligations and responsibilities attached to that,” said the Australian PM.

The 51-year-old leader opined that review and information gathered by independent public inspectors can undoubtedly save lives.  He added that Australia will stand for independence, transparency, public health, even if advocating and pushing anything globally is ambitious at the best of times.

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Accusations on China

Call for an independent inquiry into the virus outbreak gathered momentum after reports of the man-made virus in Wuhan’s laboratory emerged. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo targeted China saying the United States “strongly believe” the Beijing did not report the coronavirus outbreak in a timely manner to the WHO. During a news briefing, Pompeo said that it was an obligation for China to notify the WHO of any unusual or unexpected public health events such as SARS.

Read: Chinese Envoy Takes A Veiled Jibe At Trump, Says 'little Attention To Views Of Scientists'

The top diplomat accused China of covering the dangerous nature of the disease and not reporting the sustained human-to-human transmission until it was spread in every province of China. He also added that China not only halted the testing of new samples but also destroyed the existing samples.

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(Image Credit: AP)