WHO team’s upcoming China visit marred by delay, denial
W.H.O. CHIEF HAS CRITICISED BEIJING FOR NOT WORKING OUT PERMISSIONS FOR THE COMING CHINA VISIT OF A TEAM OF EXPERTS
TAIPEI/WASHINGTON: China said on Wednesday it was still negotiating with the World Health Organization (WHO) the dates and itinerary for a visit by international experts looking into origins of Covid-19, after the head of the agency criticised Beijing for not finalising permissions for the mission.
China’s position on the hunt for the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic “has always been open and responsible”, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.
She said that China has a close cooperation with the WHO; however, the dates and itinerary need to be finalised. “The origins problem is very complex. To ensure that the work of the global experts group in China is successful, we need to carry out the necessary procedures and relevant concrete plans. Currently both sides are still in negotiations on this,” Hua said. “I understand that it’s not just a visa problem and the actual date and itinerary. Both sides are still in close communication.”
An international team of experts had been due to visit the central city of Wuhan in January, where the pandemic first appeared a year ago.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that members of the international scientific team began departing from their home countries over the last 24 hours as part of an arrangement between the WHO and the Chinese government.
US logs over 3,900 Covid deaths in last 24 hours
The US broke its own record for the number of daily deaths from Covid-19 yet again on Tuesday, recording 3,936 fatalities in 24 hours, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The worst-hit country in the world also recorded 250,173 new cases in the period up until Tuesday evening, the Baltimorebased university’s records showed. That brings the US to more than 21 million cases and over 357,060 deaths in total since the start of the pandemic.
The number of people hospitalised is also at its highest since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 131,000 patients occupying beds due to Covid-19, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.
Grammy awards deferred to March 14 due to Covid
The Grammy Awards ceremony due to take place on January 31 has been rescheduled to March 14 because of the coronavirus surge in Los Angeles, organisers said on Tuesday.
The new date, announced by the Recording Academy and broadcaster CBS in a joint statement, clashes with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ceremony for film and television.
The organisers said the ceremony to present the highest honours in the music industry had been delayed after talks with health experts and musicians. “After thoughtful conversations with health experts... we are rescheduling the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be broadcast on Sunday, March 14, 2021,” the statement said.