THE United Nations (UN) Secretary General (SG) Mr António Gutteres has called on governments across the globe to ramp up efforts to screen, monitor and manage the Coronavirus outbreak following the World Health Organisation (WHO) announcement of the bug now being a global pandemic.
By Michael Gwarisa
In a statement, Mr Gutteres called for calm while at the same time vigilance in the face of the pandemic which has already claimed more than 4629 lives in China and outside mainland China.
All of us face a common threat – the coronavirus – COVID 19. Today’s declaration of a pandemic is a call to action – for everyone, everywhere. It’s also a call for responsibility and solidarity – as nations united and as people united. As we fight the virus, we cannot let fear go viral.
“Together, we can still change the course of this pandemic – but that means addressing inaction. The best science tells us, if countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response, we can go a long way to mitigating transmission. I call on every government to step up and scale up their efforts – now,” said Mr Gutteres.
He added that the crisis affects everyone and global citizens should be calm.
“And since this is a crisis that affects everyone, we must all play our part. As we mourn all those who have lost their lives and the many families who are suffering, we must show solidarity with the most vulnerable – the elderly, the sick, those without reliable healthcare, and those on the edge of poverty.
“Let’s move forward with resolve and without stigma. You can count on the UN to do our part. Let’s overcome this common threat together.”
