Every case is a victim and every case needs to be treated with sensitivity
KNZ NEWS DESK
Geneva: World Health Organization in a press briefing on coronavirus COVID-19 from WHO Headquarters, Geneva Switzerland said ‘we’re not profiling COVID-19 along racial, along religious, along ethnic lines. This is not helpful.’
Raising the Tablighi incident, Ankit Kumar from India Today had asked “we have recently seen a spike in cases caused through religious gatherings in India, in fact almost a third of new cases were linked to one gathering in India. We have also seen incidents of violence against health workers due to fear and misinformation. Is WHO concerned with these developments, what is WHO’s message to religious and community leaders and their followers?”
Having COVID-19 is not anybody’s fault. Every case is a victim and every case needs to be treated with sensitivity
Answering to the question posed by Ankit Kumar, Dr Michael Ryan said, ‘It’s very important again; having COVID-19 is not anybody’s fault. Every case is a victim and every case needs to be treated with sensitivity, as the health workers who treat them so it’s very important that we’re not profiling COVID-19 along racial, along religious, along ethnic lines. This is not helpful.’
We’re not profiling COVID-19 along racial, along religious, along ethnic lines
Calling violence against health workers really unacceptable, Dr Mike Ryan however noted that the idea is driven by fear and it’s driven by misunderstanding. He asked everyone and every community to see our health workers as our heroes and to support them in every way they can.
Violence against health workers is driven by fear and misunderstanding
Dr Mike Ryan observed that there are always risks associated with such gatherings in the midst of a major epidemic, be they religious or be they for other purposes. He informed that WHO has been working very, very closely with religious and faith-based organisations all over the world including groups from the Islamic tradition, Christian traditions and others and continue to work through faith-based organisations. WHO is also continuing to develop guidance specifically for the holy month of Ramadan
He further revealed that WHO is also continuing to develop guidance specifically for the holy month of Ramadan and is working through its Eastern Mediterranean regional office to be able to advise governments and religious institutions on how best to manage the risks associated with such holy events.
