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Push for Coronavirus Probe Gains Support as China Says Too Early

VOA News

   As support for an independent investigation into the origins of the
   coronavirus outbreak grows, China said Monday such a move is premature.

   Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman ZhaoLijiansaid during a briefing
   thatthe majority ofthe world's nations believe the pandemic is still
   ongoing.

   A European Union-drafted resolution is expected to gain approval this
   week at the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World
   Health Organization.

   The measure calls for a probe into both how the pandemic began as well
   as the responses to it.

   Australia has been among the most vocal proponents of such an
   investigation, and Foreign MinisterMarisePayne said Mondayitwants the
   effort to be "impartial, independent and comprehensive."

   "We're very encouraged by the growing levels of support for this
   comprehensive World Health Assembly motion," she said.

   The novel coronavirus was firstpubliclyidentified in China in late
   December and has spread around world, killing more than 315,000 people
   and infecting at least 4.7 million.

   Governments have instituted stay-at-homeorders, andencouraged those who
   go out in public to practice social distancing and wear face masks in
   order to stop the spread.

   Those efforts have brought economies to a halt, with Japan the latest
   country to report Monday that its economy slid into recession in the
   first quarter of this year.

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