国际英语资讯:Spotlight: ASEAN nations join hands together to combat COVID-19_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: ASEAN nations join hands together to combat COVID-19

Also on Thursday, the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) held its 25th meeting at which foreign ministers of ASEAN countries agreed to submit to heads of state or government their recommendations regarding COVID-19 response which focus on three aspects, he said, noting that the aspects include containing and preventing the spread of COVID-19; supporting people in the countries hit by the disease, including providing consular assistance to ASEAN citizens living, working and studying in other ASEAN nations or a third country; and minimizing socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic.

On March 20, the ACC held its 24th meeting to discuss measures to beef up collaboration and coordination within the ASEAN and with its dialogue partners. Emergency response mechanisms in the regional bloc and its partners, China, Japan and South Korea, were established right after the COVID-19 broke out.

The ASEAN Chair 2020, health, economic and defense ministers, and ministers in charge of tourism have issued statements, agreeing on closer coordination and cooperation with specific measures to effectively curb the spread of the pandemic.

On April 7, at the end of a special video conference of the ASEAN health ministers in enhancing cooperation on COVID-19 response, the ministers adopted a joint statement, agreeing to collectively enhance the exchange and sharing of timely data and information on COVID-19 on the prevention, detection, control and response measures, epidemiologic surveillance updates, risk assessment results, epidemiological and clinical studies on the virus and the disease, and technical guidelines.