President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Tijani Muhammad-Bande, has advised against politicisation of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

Muhammad-Bande, from Nigeria, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in New York on Monday evening.

He spoke against the backdrop of the rapid spread of the virus around the world, a situation some blame on government failure in affected countries.

“This is not an issue of politics, but a technical issue concerning health matters, and let those who are trained on public health guide us about it. The spread is a serious global challenge and every country is doing its very best because no country jokes about public health of this magnitude.

“The most affected country is China, and the Chinese effort is commendable. Everybody has seen what measure they have undertaken.

“Nobody should make a pronouncement about what is unfolding other than to say we should listen to the advice of the WHO (World Health Organisation). There is great coordination between the WHO as a body and national governments or health institutions in tackling the challenge’’ he explained.