YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations Human Rights Council made a decision to suspend its 43rd session in Geneva due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, Human Rights Council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberge said today during the session, TASS reports.

The session was scheduled to take place until March 20, but will be suspended from March 13.

“By the consent of the Council we suspend the 43rd session on March 13 until further notice”, the HRC chief said.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak in China a global health emergency, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple foci. Cases of the new coronavirus have also been reported in over 70 other countries. Currently the number of people infected with COVID-19 around the globe is over 120,000, with more than 4,000 deaths.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan