Coronavirus: Death Toll Hits 3,809 as UN Shuts Headquarters to Tourists

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Tuesday put the global death toll from the new coronavirus disease at 3,809.

The announcement came as the United Nations yesterday closed its New York headquarters to the general public to help prevent the spread of the new virus, a spokesman for UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said.

The move comes one week after a similar measure was taken at the main UN building in Geneva.

“As of now, we have not been advised of any COVID-19 cases amongst UN staff in New York,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Some 3,000 people work in the iconic building overlooking the East River in Midtown Manhattan, the scene of annual gatherings of world leaders.

Normally, some 5,000 tourists visit the building each week in guided tours.

About 500,000 people visit the UN headquarters each year, not all tourists, officials said.

“The United Nations will continue to monitor the situation closely and further measures may be taken as circumstances evolve,” Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, WHO has put the global death toll from the new coronavirus disease at 3,809.

The number of COVID-19 deaths rose to 3,123 in China and 686 outside the Asian country.

The WHO’s situation report on the coronavirus outbreak published on its website, on Monday, stated that three new territories, which included Bangladesh, Albania, and Paraguay, reported their first coronavirus cases.

It added that 104 countries had laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The number of confirmed cases globally rose to 109,578, including 80,904 in China and 28,674 outside China.