WHO calls for science and solidarity over coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is a global health emergency, the director-general of the World Health Organization has declared – but added that travel restrictions to China would be counterproductive.

An “unprecedented outbreak” had been met with an “unprecedented response”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, following a crisis meeting in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday.

He called for the global community to make “evidence-based” decisions regarding travel and trade with China and decried unilateral actions to isolate Beijing, saying the WHO opposed some measures taken and threatened.

“This is the time for facts, not fear,” he said. “This is the time for science, not rumours. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma.”