SYDNEY, Australia (CU)_Australia has called on China to give access to the expert team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) who is due to investigate the origins of COVID-19 “without delay”.
“We hope that the necessary permissions for the WHO team’s travel to China can be issued without delay,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday (Jan 7).
The Minister reiterated the importance of the investigation led by the WHO, and added that Australia is looking forward to the findings “from the international field mission to China”.
Earlier this week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “very disappointed” that China had not yet finalised permission for the team’s arrival, as two members from the expert team were denied entry to China, owing to lack of visa clearance.
The COVID-19 virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019, and has since spread globally, infecting more than 87 million people and killing over 1.8 million.
Meanwhile, Australia has been the leading voice in calling for an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, which prompted trade tensions with China. In retaliation for speaking out against Beijing, the communist superpower imposed tariffs and unofficial bans on several imports from Australia, including beef, barley, wine, timber and coal.
