China’s ZERO-COVID policy not ‘sustainable’: WHO
LONDON,MAY10(REUTERS)- The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known of the virus, in rare public comments by the U.N. agency on a government’s handling of the pandemic.
“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future,” WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.
“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable... I think a shift would be very important.”
He said increased knowledge about the virus and better tools to combat it also suggested it was time for a change of strategy.
Speaking after Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of a “ZERO-COVID” policy on human rights also needs to be taken into consideration.