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The WHO could gain powers to force Britain into isolation in the event of another pandemic outbreak

2023-05-26 13:04:00, Shëndeti CNA
The WHO could gain powers to force Britain into isolation in the event of
Illustrative photo

The WHO could gain powers to force the UK into isolation in the event of another pandemic, which has alarmed ministers.

According to an updated draft of WHO regulations, member states will have to follow certain precise guidelines when responding to pandemics, such as the introduction of vaccine passports, border closures and quarantine measures.

Countries including Britain will also have to spend five percent of their health budget on preparing for another outbreak of the virus as part of a "pandemic treaty" being discussed after the coronavirus spread around the world.

But the new powers the WHO could gain have caused concern among some MPs who fear the institution could become "an international controlling authority".

Some Tory MPs have called on the Foreign Office to block powers that "seem to materially interfere with the UK's ability to make its own rules and control its budgets", The Telegraph reports.

Foreign Secretary Andre Mitchell said the UK supported the pandemic treaty as it would allow countries to respond quickly to any future pandemic, but added the government would "never agree to anything that goes beyond our points of principle on sovereignty".

The new powers are being discussed as plans to update the WHO's International Health Regulations (IHRs) - and one of the amendments says the organisation's advice will become "binding".

According to the plans, member countries will have to "recognize WHO as the guiding and coordinating authority of the international public health response ... and undertake to follow WHO recommendations in their international public health response".

If the amendments are approved, this means that the WHO will gain the power to enforce border closures, quarantine measures and vaccine passports in all member countries./ CNA.al





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