Virus will kill millions if allowed to spread: UN

2.3 lakh infected worldwide in 145 countries, deaths soar to 9,718; more than 1 lakh infected in Europe

United Nations, March 19: The world is “at war” with a virus, which if allowed to “spread like wildfire” would kill millions of people, UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday and called for a coordinated, decisive and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies to combat the pandemic.

“We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives,” Guterres said in a first of its kind virtual press conference on the Covid-2019 pandemic.

Warning that a global recession of record dimensions is “a near certainty”, the UN Secretary General cited International Labour Organisation estimates that workers around the world could lose as much as $3.4 trillion in income by the end of this year. “It has been proven that the virus can be contained. It must be contained. If we let the virus spread like wildfire especially in the most vulnerable regions of the world — it would kill millions of people,” he said.

In terms of support for the global economy, Guterres said the focus should be on helping the most vulnerable: low income workers and small and medium-sized businesses. “That means wage support, insurance, social protection, preventing bankruptcies and job loss,” he said.

Financial facilities are needed to support countries in difficulty, he said, adding that the IMF, World Bank and other international institutions have a key role to play.

“And we must refrain from the temptation of resorting to protectionism,” he said. “This is the time to dismantle trade barriers and re-establish supply chains.”

“My very strong appeal to the G20 is to have a particular concern with African countries and others in the developing world.

“We must absolutely be strong in supporting them because the virus will come, is coming to them,” the UN chief said. “If that support is denied, we could have catastrophic consequences.

“We could have millions of people dying and this is absolutely unacceptable.”Guterres urged governments to give “the strongest support to the multilateral effort to fight the virus, led by the WHO, whose appeals must be fully met.””The health catastrophe makes clear that we are only as strong as the weakest health system,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 2,32,537 people in at least 145 countries and as of Wednesday evening, at least 9,718 people have died, more than half of them outside China, where the epidemic first began in the city of Wuhan.

The number of cases of reported in Europe has surpassed 100,000, according to an AFP tally at 1700 GMT on Thursday.

Europe has at least 100,470 recorded infections, including 4,752 deaths, overtaking Asia with 94,253 cases and 3,417 deaths.