Curbs on travellers from China 'understandable' in absence of Covid data: WHO chief

• The WHO chief on Friday said that the curbs on travellers from China are "understandable" in the absence of comprehensive information from the ground.
• He had said last week that the WHO is "very concerned over the evolving situation in China" and appealed for specific Covid data.
• China's National Health Commission (NHC) has stopped publishing daily Covid-19 case data, handing over the charge to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Friday said that the curbs on travellers from China by various countries are "understandable" in the absence of comprehensive information from the ground.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remark as several countries from the US to South Korea put restrictions on air travellers from China which is seeing a massive Covid surge but not revealing data.

"In the absence of comprehensive information from #China, it is understandable that countries around the world are acting in ways that they believe may protect their populations," the WHO chief said in a tweet.

He said that the world body remains concerned about the evolving situation.

"We continue encouraging China to track the #COVID19 virus and vaccinate the highest risk people. We continue to offer our support for clinical care and protecting its health system," Ghebreyesus added.

He had said last week that the WHO is "very concerned over the evolving situation in China" and appealed for specific data on disease severity, hospital admissions and intensive care requirements.

China's National Health Commission (NHC) has stopped publishing daily Covid-19 case data, handing over the charge to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as nations including India ask the country to share actual Covid data on an urgent basis.

China's NHC began to release the daily new tally on January 21, 2020, when epidemic experts identified that the virus could spread between humans.

However, it will still take days for the CDC to activate the epidemic monitor reporting system and allow the organisation to collect and report infection data effectively.

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