OREANDA-NEWS. WHO experts went to China to determine the reason of the spread of the new coronavirus type. Experts arrived in Wuhan on a flight of one of the low-cost airlines from Singapore. Upon arrival, they will be quarantined for two weeks. This was reported by Reuters on Thursday, January 14.

According to journalists, a group of scientists left the terminal through a special tunnel with plastic walls, designed to prevent a pandemic when receiving international flights, and boarded a bus located in a specially fenced-off area. The experts were accompanied by several dozen Chinese security personnel in special protective gear.

According to the WHO, the team of 10 scientists is led by the World Organization's expert on zoonotic infections and food security, Peter Ben Embarek. They will spend two weeks interviewing representatives of research institutes, hospitals and employees of the seafood market in Wuhan, where, according to some reports, the virus began to spread among people.

Negotiations between WHO and Beijing on conducting research related to the origin of the coronavirus began several months ago, but progress was very slow. Earlier, on January 5, WHO general Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Geneva, said that China had refused entry to the organization's employees at the last minute. Two of them had already set off and had to interrupt their business trip. One of them returned home, the other temporarily stayed in a third country.

China explained the delay by the lack of some documents from WHO experts, as well as difficulties related to the preparation for the reception of the delegation.