Covid-19: We are facing a global health crisis, says UN chief

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has said that the world is facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75 -year history of the UN.

The UN secretary general, who was reacting to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease that has killed thousands of people across the globe, also said that the international labour organisations across the world could lose as much as $3.4 trillion in income by the end of the year.

COVID-19: UNN students travelling home stranded at Nsukka motor-parks

Guterres, who said that the world is at war with coronavirus called for more commitment from leaders to combat the effects the outbreak, will have on economies.

He said that “we are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the UN one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives.

“The effects of the crisis on humans, especially the vulnerable, would be disastrous if governments do not intervene by doing things differently.”

The UN scribe stated that the human crisis calls for solidarity, as the human family is being stressed and the world’s social fabric is being torn apart, said it is evident in the increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world and deaths reported from the disease.

‘’Many people cannot be in touch with their families or relatives even when they are at the point of death. This is already having a psychological effect on many people who have lost people to the disease.

“My central message is clear, we are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply.

“We cannot resort to the usual tools in such unusual times. The creativity of the response must match the unique nature of the crisis and the magnitudes of the response must match its scale. Our world faces a common enemy. We are at war with a virus.”

He added that while the battle against the virus is ongoing, the world needs to find new ways to mitigate the devastating outcome of the virus.

“People are suffering, sick and being scared and the current response level will not address the global scale and complexity of the crisis. This is a moment that demands coordinated, decisive and innovative policy action from the World’s leading economies.

“We must recognize that the poor and the vulnerable, especially the women – will be the hardest hit,’’ he said.