In a statement on Tuesday,
the organisation announced the closure of the secretariat to the general public
and the suspension of all guided tours till further notice.
Citing concerns over the
coronavirus epidemic, the United Nations has restricted public access to its
headquarters in New York.
The arrangement comes into
effect at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1 a.m. Nigerian time.), according to
the statement signed by UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
“Out of an abundance of
caution and following the decision to reduce the number of staff present in the
UN Secretariat, it has been decided to close the complex to the general public
and to temporarily suspend all guided tours until further notice.
“As the Secretary-General
has said, the health and safety of staff is a matter of his utmost priority and
concern.
“The United Nations will
continue to monitor the situation closely and further measures may be taken as
circumstances evolve.
“As of now, we have not
been advised of any COVID-19 cases amongst UN staff in New York,” Dujarric
said.
In a follow-up notice, the
world body said only those in possession of a valid UN grounds pass or Special
Event Tag (SETs) would be granted access to the Secretariat building.
It explained that any other
visitor requiring access into the building for a meeting or other event would
need to be signed in and escorted by a staff member or delegate.
The number of confirmed
global cases and fatalities of the COVID-19 currently stands at no fewer than
110,000 and 4,460, respectively, in more than 100 countries and territories.
As of Tuesday afternoon,
there were no fewer than 794 confirmed cases in the United States across 36
states and the capital, Washington, D.C.
The virus has killed no
fewer than 27 patients in the country, according to a New York Times database.
The state of New York,
which hosts the UN headquarters, accounts for 173 of the cases, the second
largest in the country after Washington with 179 confirmed cases.
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