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WHO Chief 'Disappointed' China Hasn't Allowed Researchers into Wuhan

VOA News

   The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed disappointment Tuesday
   with the failure of Chinese officials to grant final permission to an
   international team of researchers to enter the country to investigate
   the origins of the coronavirus.

   At the agency's regular COVID-19 briefing at WHO headquarters in
   Geneva, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was "very
   disappointed" that China had not authorized entry of the team, some of
   whom had begun their travels to Wuhan. The news forced other members of
   the team to cancel their travel at the last minute.

   Tedros said plans for the trip had been arranged jointly among WHO
   officials, the Chinese government and the countries for which the team
   was meant to travel through on their way to Wuhan. He said the agency
   just learned Tuesday "that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the
   necessary permissions for the team's arrival in China."

   Tedros said he had been in contact with senior Chinese officials. "And
   I have once again made it clear that the mission is a priority for WHO
   and the international team. I have been assured that China is speeding
   up the internal procedures for the earliest possible deployment. We are
   eager to get the mission under way as soon as possible."

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