The German Health Minister, Jens Young, urged the World Health Organization to speed up the review of the way it has dealt with the Corona virus, while apparently signaling a tougher European approach to the United Nations.
Berlin, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, has been largely protecting the organization so far from the harshest criticism from Washington, which wants to withdraw from the organization on the pretext of being too close to China.
But now Germany appears to be taking a more assertive stance.
Minister Jens Young told reporters that he had discussed the review of the WHO's crisis management method with its Director-General, Tedros Adhanum Gebresus, twice over the past 20 days.
"I encouraged him very clearly in both conversations to launch this independent panel of experts, and to accelerate this," he added.
The World Health Organization said last week it was setting up an independent committee to review the way it dealt with the "Covid-19" epidemic and the response of governments.
Officials told «Reuters» that the European Union governments believe that the review should be followed by reform of the organization, a possibility that is already being discussed with the United States and other members of the Group of Seven.
One official said the goal is to ensure the independence of the World Health Organization.
On the other hand, Germany intends to allow the imposition of home quarantine measures at the local level in view of the risk of a second wave of infections, "Covid-19", according to a draft agreement between the federal government and the states is supposed to finalize them.
And the German authorities will impose a "ban on entry and exit" at the level of limited geographical areas in which the house quarantine will be imposed again on the population, after the emergence of a focus of the new Corona virus.
This exit ban, at the level of a region within German territory, is a new measure within the procedures used thus far in this country that has so far adopted a very flexible concept of home stone based mainly on self-discipline and citizen cooperation.
The head of the chancellery's office, Helge Braun, explained that the German army will be used when declaring a local house stone, explaining that these local measures will be imposed "faster, in a more confined space, and with more clarity."
The Federal Minister of Health of Germany agreed with the state health ministers to make the restrictions imposed in areas where the new Corona Virus (Covid-19) spread local, more specific to the target.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany reached 200 thousand and 890 cases yesterday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and the Bloomberg News Agency.
The data indicated that the death toll in Germany due to the virus reached 9080 cases, and 186 thousand people have recovered so far.
Germany, which has remained relatively untouched by the epidemic so far, fears a second wave of the virus will spread as Germans return from holidays abroad, especially on the island of Majorca.
Britain accuses Russian pirates of trying to steal research "Covid-19" vaccine
Yesterday, the British Cyber Security Agency accused a group of electronic pirates, saying that it was "almost certain" that they were working for the Russian intelligence services, of trying to steal information related to developing a vaccine for the new Corona virus.
The National Center for Electronic Security in Britain reported that the group targeted research related to Covid-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and organizations to develop them, noting that the US and Canadian authorities confirmed the information. London ■ AFP
European Union governments believe that the review should be followed by WHO reform.