Ivanusa: Virus Will Not Disappear Just Like That, Emergency Situation in the World in Effect since End of January

Marijan Ivanusa (printscreen/n1)

Marijan Ivanusa, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Serbia, said on April 16, concerning the impact COVID-19 has had on the whole world, that the situation is sure to improve, but that, at the moment, the virus is here, and “it will not go away just like that.”

“We need to learn faster how to wash our hands, how to use masks, and how to keep social distance of one to two meters, to prevent the virus from spreading,” Ivanusa told TV Prva, responding to the question of how long will the pandemic last.

Speaking about accusations coming from the U.S. that WHO had not timely informed the world of the severity of the situation in China, he said that “the pandemic” is only a term, whereas the declaration of an emergency situation is of operative character, and that it was done at the end of January.

Ivanusa also said that an emergency situation was declared on proposal from a commission consisting of experts from WHO, but also the best experts from a number of countries, and that this was done in accordance with the international health regulations defined by WHO members.

Commenting on the U.S.’ announcement that it would stop funding WHO, he said that the biggest portion of the organization’s funding comes from various countries, and that WHO has good cooperation with the U.S. embassy in Serbia.