Sequence of major events in a virus pandemic
This article documents the chronology of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Some developments may become known or fully understood only in retrospect. Reporting on this pandemic began in December 2019.
Reactions and measures at the United Nations.
1 June.
The World Health Organization (WHO) published research finding that the fight against COVID-19 had severely disrupted services to prevent and treat non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, which kill over 40 million people each year.
Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO Executive Director, highlighted that Central and South America were now ‘intense zones’ for COVID-19 transmission.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) published research noting that countries were cautiously starting to ease travel restrictions.
2 June.
The President of the General Assembly, Tijani Muhammad-Bande, called for UN Member States to place human rights at the heart of their ongoing response to COVID-19 and ensure that everyone can enjoy "justice and peace".
At a UN ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum, exploring financing options to address the pandemic and mobilize the resources needed for a proactive recovery, Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed informed delegates that 'unprecedented' financing was needed to halt a recession of 'unparalleled proportions'.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for urgent action to address "the major disproportionate impact" of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minorities, including people of African descent.
At a virtual pledging conference for Yemen, where community transmission of the coronavirus was likely underway, the UN Secretary-General warned that the country, whose health system had collapsed, was facing a massive humanitarian crisis and was "hanging on by a thread".
Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, warned that due to the coronavirus, cross-border remittances will fall by 20 per cent, or $110 billion, to $445 billion, potentially causing tens of millions to fall below the poverty line and undermining progress towards fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
3 June.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, launched the latest UN policy briefing on the pandemic, which reminds countries of their obligation to protect people on the move, now more than 70 million globally, according to data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, expressing optimism that the COVID-19 crisis would lead to a rethinking of how the world supports refugees, migrants and internally displaced people.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged Asian-Pacific countries to honour the right to freedom of expression, following an alarming clampdown on freedom of expression during the COVID-19 crisis.
On World Bicycle Day, the World Health Organization highlighted the potential for bicycles to transform the way the world moves around and create a healthier, more sustainable future after the pandemic.
The Secretary-General appealed for greater unity and solidarity to defeat COVID-19 and build a better world in its wake, in opening remarks to an extraordinary inter-sessional summit of the 79-member Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.
4 June.
Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message to the Global Vaccine Summit that a COVID-19 vaccine in itself would not be enough, but that it must be affordable and accessible.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that with nearly 1.2 billion children out of school globally due to the pandemic, inherent inequalities in accessing the internet and other tools, threatened to deepen the global crisis in learning.
Independent United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, and on extreme poverty, Olivier De Schutter, urged the Indian Government to urgently comply with a Supreme Court order to ensure the wellbeing of more than 100 million migrant workers, after coronavirus measures left them jobless, forcing them to travel long distances home.
5 June.
The World Health Organization, in updated guidance, stated that governments in areas with widespread COVID-19 transmission should encourage the use of non-medical masks on public transport, in shops and in other confined locations.
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations warned that in the Sahel African subregion, terrorist groups were exploiting the pandemic as they increased attacks on national and international peacekeeping forces.
8 June.
The World Bank stated in its latest "Global Economic Prospects" report that the COVID-19 pandemic would shrink the global economy by 5.2 per cent in 2020, the deepest recession since World War Two, triggering a dramatic rise in extreme poverty.
The World Health Organization warned that the COVID-19 pandemic was worsening globally, with more than 136,000 cases recorded on 7 June, the highest ever in a single day.
9 June.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched his latest policy brief on the pandemic, concerning global food security, emphasizing that the dire global food security impacts of the crisis, including an additional 50 million people falling into extreme poverty, could be avoided if countries acted immediately.
The World Food Programme warned that aid and funding of more than $182 million were urgently required for millions of people in Nigeria who had been severely impacted by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including conflict-hit communities “on life-support” in Nigeria's north-east.
10 June.
The World Health Organization reported that research was continuing to determine how the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted by people who show no symptoms of the disease.
Secretary-General António Guterres addressed a virtual gathering of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance, warning that the “unparalleled economic shock” due to the coronavirus was putting development gains at risk.
The UN Environment Programme and partners released a new report, "Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2020", showing that renewable energy was more cost-effective than ever, as COVID-19 impacted the fossil fuel industry, "providing an opportunity to prioritize clean energy in national economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement".
11 June.
The World Health Organization Africa regional office warned that COVID-19 was accelerating in Africa, with more than 200,000 cases and more than 5,600 deaths.
Secretary-General António Guterres informed the “High-level Thematic Debate on the Impact of Rapid Technological Change on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Targets”, taking place in the UN General Assembly, that managing the digital divide better had become “a matter of life and death” owing to people being unable to access essential healthcare information during the pandemic.
At a virtual roundtable discussion, the Peace Operations chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, stressed the importance of prioritizing the UN's Action for Peacekeeping's (A4P) Women, Peace and Security (WPS) commitments during the pandemic as inequality increased as a result of the pandemic.
12 June.
Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, marking the World Day Against Child Labour, warned that huge gains made towards ending child labour over the previous two decades risked being reversed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that children in the Yemen, "the world's worst humanitarian disaster" urgently needed basic services, as over eight million Yemenis, nearly half of them children, directly depended on the agency for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) during the ongoing conflict, cholera outbreaks and pandemic, with the $479 million appeal for Yemen being less than 40 per cent funded. UNICEF warned that unless it received $30 million by the end of June, WASH operations for four million people would shut down.
The World Health Organization warned about the pandemic's impact on women, children and young people as it continued to escalate.
15 June.
The World Health Organization Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized the risk of the southern hemisphere influenza season, as “Co-circulation of COVID-19 and influenza can worsen the impact on health systems that are already overwhelmed”.
16 June.
The UNHCR warned of the worsening refugee crisis in Syria, as “another 200,000 refugees just in this period of three months who because of the impact needed emergency assistance”.
The UN's office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), together with the Food and Agriculture Organization, proposed in a new study 10 measures to avoid increased hunger in the region, including through an “anti-hunger grant”, as they warned those living in extreme poverty in the region could surpass 83 million by the end of 2020 due to the impacts of the pandemic.
17 June.
The World Health Organization welcomed early results on use of dexamethasone in sickest COVID-19 patients, while warning it's ‘no cure-all’.
19 June.
The World Health Organization warned that the world was entering “a new and dangerous phase” of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infection rates continued to climb and over 150,000 new cases of the disease were reported the previous day, the highest single daily total to date.
Secretary-General António Guterres issued a new policy brief, the "World of Work and COVID-19", concerning jobs, livelihoods and the well-being of workers, families and businesses globally, as they continued to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; with micro, small and medium enterprises in particular, suffering dire economic consequences.
21 June.
The UN celebrated the sixth annual International Day of Yoga, recognizing the ancient practice "as a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, and a powerful tool for dealing with the myriad stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic".
The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan echoed the United Nations Secretary General's call for a global ceasefire, as it condemned 15 attacks on healthcare workers in the country recorded during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
22 June.
The World Health Organization reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases over 21 June, registering more than 183,000 new infections in 24 hours, with approximately 8.8 million cases in total worldwide, with more than 465,000 deaths.
UNAIDS warned that stocks of medication for HIV patients could be exhausted within the next two months, due to higher costs as a result of lockdowns and COVID-19 border closures.
23 June.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on International Widow's Day called for countries to work towards dismantling laws that discriminate against women, particularly over inheritance, as they built back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
24 June.
170 United Nations Member States and Observers endorsed the United Nations Secretary General's global ceasefire appeal during the COVID crisis.
The International Monetary Fund in its latest "World Economic Outlook" report warned that the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was projected to be slower than previously forecast, with growth in 2020 estimated at -4.9 per cent, or nearly two percentage points below April projections, indicating a deeper recession and slower recovery.
The World Health Organization Director-General warned that the world was on track to reach 10 million coronavirus cases within the next week, a “sober reminder” that as research continues into therapeutics and vaccines, maximum efforts were required immediately to suppress transmission and save lives.
25 June.
The United Nations Secretary-General launched the 'UN Comprehensive Response to COVID-19' a major policy document to coordinate the United Nations System to "save lives, protect societies, recover better" during and after the pandemic.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its latest annual report, noting that over 35 million people globally now suffered from drug addiction, with the report also analyzing the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global drug markets.
26 June.
The World Health Organization and partners warned that more than $31 billion would be needed over the next 12 months to develop effective medicines for COVID-19, and to make them globally available to all people.
UNICEF warned in a new report that the number of malnourished children in Yemen could reach 2.4 million by the end of 2020, due to huge shortfalls in humanitarian aid funding amid the coronavirus pandemic.
30 June.
The United Nations Secretary-General called on the world to increase “financial, humanitarian and political commitments”, to help end nearly a decade of major conflict and suffering in Syria, in a message to the fourth Brussels Donor Conference.
On Social Media Day, the United Nations launched its Verified initiative, which calls on people globally to pause before sharing, to help stop the viral spread of COVID-19 misinformation.
Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guy Ryder, commenting on new ILO data showing that working hours fell 14 per cent during the second quarter of 2020, stated that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on jobs had been much worse than initially expected, as he appealed to governments, workers and employers to agree on a sustainable economic recovery plan to reduce the inequalities revealed by the pandemic.
Reactions and measures in Africa.
9 June.
Nigeria's Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire up to 60 percent of the "mysterious" deaths reported to authorities in the state of Kano were as a result of the coronavirus.
President of Tanzania John Magufuli declared Tanzania to be free of the coronavirus.
10 June.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that there have been more than 200,000