In addition to citizens from the newly included countries, the tourist visa has been extended to seven other categories
China rejected on Thursday a World Health Organization (WHO) plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus, which includes the hypothesis it could have escaped from a Chinese laboratory, a top health official said.
The WHO this month proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.
"We will not accept such an origins-tracing plan as it, in some aspects, disregards common sense and defies science," Zeng Yixin, vice minister of the National Health Commission (NHC), told reporters.
Zeng said he was taken aback when he first read the WHO plan because it lists the hypothesis that a Chinese violation of laboratory protocols had caused the virus to leak during research.
"We hope the WHO would seriously review the considerations and suggestions made by Chinese experts and truly treat the origin tracing of the Covid-19 virus as a scientific matter, and get rid of political interference," Zeng said.
China opposed politicising the study, he said.
The first known cases emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The virus was believed to have jumped to humans from animals being sold for food at a city market.
In May, US President Joe Biden ordered aides to find answers to questions over the origin saying that US intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories.
Zeng, along with other officials and Chinese experts at the news conference, urged the WHO to expand origin-tracing efforts beyond China to other countries.
"We believe a lab leak is extremely unlikely and it is not necessary to invest more energy and efforts in this regard," said Liang Wannian, the Chinese team leader on the WHO joint expert team.
However, Liang said the lab leak hypothesis could not be entirely discounted but suggested that if evidence warranted, other countries could look into the possibility it leaked from their labs.
In addition to citizens from the newly included countries, the tourist visa has been extended to seven other categories
Al-Najjar, one of the three hospitals in Rafah, is no longer functioning due to the ongoing hostilities in the vicinity and the military operation in Rafah
The tweet also informed people of the different details that a single ID card can provide
Airport expected to increase its capacity to 25 million passengers annually by 2027
Core taxi segment revenue up 15% year-on-year
The precious metal has climbed approximately 12% this year
Since last month, many residents have resorted to expensive alternatives like taxis, while others endure significantly longer travel times
In authorised school buses, drivers and nannies are trained to conduct thorough checks of the bus before locking and leaving it