As the novel coronavirus pandemic kept spreading over the world, politicians and scholars started holding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for causing the worldwide disaster.
#1: National Review reported that, on March 24, Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) and Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) introduced a bicameral resolution to condemn the CCP for its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and called for an international investigation to determine how the cover-up hastened the emergence of a global pandemic.
Hawley, who first called for an investigation into the CCP’s accountability, said in a press release, “Since day one, the Chinese Communist Party intentionally lied to the world about the origin of this pandemic. The CCP was aware of the reality of the virus as early as December but ordered laboratories to destroy samples and forced doctors to keep silent.”
“There is no doubt that China’s unconscionable decision to orchestrate an elaborate cover-up of the wide-ranging and deadly implications of the coronavirus led to the death of thousands of people, including hundreds of Americans and climbing.” Stefanik added, “This Resolution calls for China to provide compensation for the harm, loss, and destruction their arrogance brought upon the rest of the world. Simply put China must, and will, be held accountable.”
The bill calls on the international community to “quantify the harm caused” by China’s actions and to “design a mechanism for delivering compensation” from the CCP to those affected.
#2: On March 22, Jaap van Dissel, Director of the Infectious Disease Control Center of the RIVM, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, admitted in an interview that the key reason for European countries to become the hardest hit of the pandemic at that time was because they believed the information from the CCP and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Yes, this information might be wrong,” he states. “At first, we completely rely on information from China. China said the chance for this virus to spread in its country is very slim. The WHO also gave an estimation on the most likely scenario and said the risk of (the virus) spreading seems to be very small. We in the Netherlands and other European countries, such as Germany and France, adopted the same position, which was the WHO’s position at that time.”
1. Source: National Review, March 24, 2020
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hawley-stefanik-introduce-bill-to-investigate-china-for-coronavirus-coverup/
2. Excerpt in Chinese:
荷兰国家公共卫生与环境研究所（RIVM）是荷兰预防传染病专家机构，也是该国防疫抗疫重要顾问。 3月22日，该机构相关负责人接受网络媒体NU.nl采访时表示，欧洲各国之所以成为重灾区，根本的原因在于一味听信来自中共以及世卫的信息。
今年1月底，RIVM报告称，中共病毒不太可能传到荷兰，而且这种疾病似乎不太可能发生人与人传播，而且该病毒进入荷兰的机会很小。然而，差不多两个月后，该国便深陷危机。截至周一（3月23日），荷兰有4,749人确诊感染，其中213人告不治。
显然，RIVM当初给出的信息与事实差异较大。对此，该机构传染病控制中心主任夏普·范·迪瑟尔（Jaap van Dissel）完全承认，并向记者做了解释。
“是的，这（信息）可能是错误的。起初，我们完全依赖来自中国（中共）的信息，情况总是这样。当时，中国（中共）称这种病毒在其国内传播的机会非常小，很小。”范·迪瑟尔说。
“世界卫生组织（WHO，简称世卫）也对当时最有可能发生的情况做了评估，称传播的风险似乎很小。我们荷兰与其他欧洲国家，例如德国和法国均采取同样立场，这也是世卫组织WHO当时的基本立场。”
Source: Epoch Times, March 23, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/3/23/n11966324.htm