World News | US Plans to Re-open Pandemic Response Office
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The pandemic response office at National Security Council which was disbanded by the Trump administration in 2018 will now be reopened at the State Department amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Washington DC [US], July 3 (ANI): The pandemic response office at National Security Council which was disbanded by the Trump administration in 2018 will now be reopened at the State Department amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday (local time), the National Security Council held an interagency meeting to discuss plans for the office, which will fall under the leadership of a new position: coordinator for pandemics, CNN reported quoting a senior administration official.
Critics have questioned the move to re-open the office at the State Department rather than in National Security Council reflecting Trump administration toeing a different line from the Obama administration.
According to former officials, the US could have handled the coronavirus situation better had it not closed the previous pandemic response office.
Also Read | COVID-19 'Plague from China', Says US President Donald Trump Accusing Beijing of Allowing it to Happen.
Lisa Monaco, who served as President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser and oversaw the creation of the NSC's global health directorate, was quoted as saying that stationing the pandemic office within the National Security Council was necessary "because in an epidemic like Ebola, in a pandemic like Covid-19, what you need is a whole of government response and you need swift action. You need swift decisions from the President, and you need that policy coordinated across the entire government."
The US on Thursday recorded at least 55,220 new coronavirus cases, The Washington Post reported. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)