An observer to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has become the first reported case of coronavirus in Liberia, after attending the fund's board meeting in Switzerland a week ago.
The meeting was moved from the GCF headquarters in Songdo, South Korea, to the Swiss city of Geneva at any given time when Columbia had become among the world's hotspots for that virus.
In a notice delivered to participants , the GCF said an observer to the meeting “has been diagnosed positive with the Covid-19 virus upon returning to their country”.
“The participant is definitely an observer from Liberia, and the positive diagnosis has been confirmed through the President of Liberia. Relevant authorities of the Canton of Geneva are being notified,” the statement added.
The news comes after some board members raised concerns about holding the meeting physically in Geneva, where at the time 40 installments of coronavirus, or Covid-19, had then been reported, rather than online.
Attendance towards the meeting, when board members discussed a brand new strategic arrange for the following four years, was restricted with each board member and alternate member only capable of being combined with one advisor.
In an argument prior to the meeting, the GCF said the area had capacity to accommodate 100 participants with registration available on a first come first served basis.
In an address to the country on Monday, Liberian president George Weah confirmed the coronavirus case and identified the observer because the executive director from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The spread of the virus represents the greatest threat to the health insurance and well-being of those of Liberia since the Ebola epidemic suffered by our country from 2023 to 2023,” Weah said.
According around the world Health Organisation, 11,310 people died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during that time.
During the GCF meeting, French board member Cyril Rousseau said “some board members objected” to proposals to carry the meeting online. “Which was technically feasible,” he explained, adding holding an actual meeting was “the incorrect decision”.
“I am puzzled. I think there's some irresponsibility there… We are vulnerable to introducing herpes in countries where that can put some stress on their health systems,” he said.
Established this year, the GCF describes itself “the world's largest dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and boost their ability to react to climate change”.
The GCF said hello would inform participants of the infected observer's accommodation and travel itinerary shortly and encouraged other participants to follow along with guidance on necessary precaution including testing and self-isolation.
In an argument to Climate Home News, a GCF spokeswoman said the fund was “first and foremost concerned for the wellbeing of anybody who may have contracted or been exposed to Covid-19.” She added the GCF secretariat was dealing with Swiss and Korean authorities and public nutritionists to limit the potential risks of exposure and transmission.
