NextSharkNextShark.com

WHO chief censored in China after he said its zero-COVID policy is unsustainable

WHO chief censored in China after he said its zero-COVID policy is unsustainable

The world’s top health official has reportedly been censored in China after calling its zero-COVID policy unsustainable.

May 12, 2022
SHARE
The world’s top health official has reportedly been censored in China after calling its zero-COVID policy unsustainable and stressing the importance of a shift in strategy.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the criticism at a press briefing on Tuesday.
“We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behavior of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future,” he said about the omicron variant, which recently forced Shanghai into a six-week lockdown and Beijing into aggressive mass testing.
“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable,” the WHO chief added. “I think a shift would be very important.”
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Tedros’ remarks were soon posted on the United Nations’ Weibo page. It immediately drew criticism from users, and by Wednesday morning, it was no longer available “due to the author’s privacy setting.”
The post was not the only thing that disappeared. A hashtag containing the official’s name was also scrubbed as well as images that included his face.
Meanwhile, an article that cited Tedros’ comments was banned on WeChat “due to a violation of relevant laws and regulations.” Videos of him making the remarks were also removed from the platform.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responded to Tedros’ comments in a press briefing. He said China hopes “relevant people can view China’s policy of epidemic prevention and control objectively and rationally, get more knowledge about the facts, and refrain from making irresponsible remarks.”
Zhao reiterated that the East Asian country’s zero-COVID policy “can stand the test of history.” He described China as “one of the most successful countries in epidemic prevention and control” and that such success is “obvious” to the international community.
Tedros was accused of being a Chinese ally early in the pandemic. This stemmed from the WHO’s praise of Beijing’s rapid response and repetition of its statement that there was “no clear evidence” of human-to-human transmission.
Zhao suspects that Tedros’ opinion may have been influenced by Western media “such as Reuters.” He accused Western outlets of deliberately confusing the WHO official “to undermine the global contribution of China’s COVID-19 fight, ahead of a U.S.-organized global COVID summit.”
As of Wednesday, Shanghai reported 1,305 new asymptomatic (up from 1,259 on Tuesday) and 44 new symptomatic (down from 228) cases. Beijing, on the other hand, reported 46 new cases, up from 37 on Tuesday.
 
Featured Image via NBC News
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Carl Samson

      Carl Samson is a Senior Editor for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.