China denies entry visa for WHO Team seeking to probe COVID-19 origin

BEIJING: China has reportedly denied entry VISAs to an expert mission team by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, even after having months' long negotiation with the organization.

The team of ten experts was meant to conduct a probe into the mystery about the origin of the virus and how and where the virus jumped from animals to humans. But China denied their entry in the last minute.

WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he is "very disappointed", while the Chinese Government termed it as just a "misunderstanding" between them and WHO.

In a statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chuying said that it happened due to the late arrival of the WHO team.

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"To ensure that their work can be done smoothly in China, both sides remain in close communication over certain details, such as the timing of their arrival in China, as well as other arrangements," the statement said.

The virus has killed almost 1.8 million people around the globe and caused a huge global economic turmoil.

Even former US President Donald Trump did not hesitate to call COVID-19 a "Chinese Virus".

But even after all of the external pressure, Beijing has been continuously resisting calls for an independent probe to trace the origins of the infectious strain.

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