The protective measures taken by other countries in view of the Covid outbreak in China are “understandable” given the lack of information from Beijing, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Thursday.
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“In the absence of full information from China, it is understandable that countries are taking the measures they believe will protect their populations,” he said on Twitter, urging Beijing to communicate more about the state of the pandemic in the country.
“In order to conduct a full risk assessment of the Covid-19 situation in China, the WHO needs more detailed information,” he wrote.
The statements come after the United States joined other countries, including Japan and Italy, in imposing tests on travelers from China after Beijing lifted restrictions on travel abroad despite a surge in cases.
However, a European health authority, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said on Thursday such measures were not justified in the European Union at this time.
“We are concerned about the evolution of the situation” (in China) “and we continue to encourage China to track down the virus and vaccinate those most at risk,” the head of WHO added.
Chinese hospitals are overwhelmed by high infection numbers after Beijing decided to lift strict rules that have long contained the spread of the pandemic but have plunged the economy and sparked popular protests.
Chinese authorities said this week they would end mandatory quarantine on arrival in China, prompting many Chinese to plan trips abroad.
On Dec. 21, Tedros told reporters his organization was concerned about the resurgence of the pandemic in China, where the National Health Commission said last week it would stop publishing a daily death toll from Covid.