After a rare rebuke from China, Wuhan is preparing for an investigation

On Saturday, China confirmed the continuation of preparations for a visit by the World Health Organization (WHO) mission to Wuhan to investigate the origin of "Covid-19", in the wake of a rare reprimand of its kind from the international organization over the long delay of the scheduled visit.

The statements came after the director-general of the organization announced on Tuesday that he was "very disappointed" for not completing Beijing after the permit, despite the start of a number of team members the trip to China to trace the origin of the virus that was first detected in late 2019 in the central city.

"The exact date (of the visit) is being considered and we are ready," Deputy Minister of the National Health Commission, Zheng Yixin, told reporters Saturday.

"As long as these experts complete the procedures and confirm their program, we will go together to Wuhan to conduct investigations," he added.

Earlier this week, Chinese authorities declined to confirm details of the visit, in a sign of the sensitivity of the mission, which has suffered from delays and politics.

The organization had previously announced that China had granted permission to visit a team of 10 people.

"We are currently awaiting the arrival of WHO experts, and we have arranged for groups of experts to receive them," Zeng added.

He expressed the hope that WHO investigations would be able to further understand the origin of the emerging corona virus.

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