China says WHO COVID-19 origins probe team to arrive January 14

January 11, 2021 - 3:48 PM
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FILE PHOTO: A logo is pictured on the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, November 22, 2017. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

BEIJING— A World Health Organization (WHO) team of international experts tasked with investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic will arrive in China on January 14, China’s national health authority said on Monday.

The team was initially aiming to enter China in early January for the investigation but their arrival was delayed due to lack of authorization from Beijing for their entry.

READ: WHO’s Tedros ‘very disappointed’ China hasn’t granted entry to coronavirus experts

The National Health Commission, which announced the date, did not offer details on the team’s itinerary.

The pandemic first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. —Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Gabriel Crossley; writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Himani Sarkar