FILE PHOTO: A homeless person stands outside a temporary tent in Pretoria, South Africa, April 15, 2020. South Africa has provided temporary tents and food for the homeless to better control the COVID-19 outbreak. /Xinhua.
The U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to cut funding for the World Health Organization continues to draw various reactions across the globe. South Africa on Thursday said it is regrettable and alarming as the deadly COVID-19 strikes Africa and the poorest and most vulnerable states.
The South African government said it is concerned and alarmed at the announcement by Trump to suspend funding for the WHO, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.
Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration is halting the nation's funding to the WHO, accusing the organization of "failing to adequately obtain, vet, and share information in a timely and transparent fashion."
South Africa is particularly alarmed that the decision is made amid a global health crisis that requires a full-capacity WHO to provide support in combating the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
Former US President Jimmy Carter in a statement through The Carter Center said he was distressed by the decision to cut funding to the UN health agency.
Melinda Gates, the wife to Bill Gates said, "Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs WHO now more than ever."