Coronavirus: WHO praises Italy as it declares pandemic

(ANSA) - Rome, March 11 - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Italy's approach to the coronavirus on Wednesday as he declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. "WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," Adhanom said.
    "We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic".
    In a briefing in Geneva he said that the organisation is "encouraged by the aggressive measures adopted by Italy" and that it hopes "they have an effect in the coming days".