The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization" id="mwAVM" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="World Health Organization">World Health Organization (WHO)</a> declares the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19" id="mwAVQ" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="COVID-19">COVID-19</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SARS-CoV-2" id="mwAVU" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="SARS-CoV-2">virus</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic" id="mwAVY" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="Epidemic">epidemic</a> a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic" id="mwAVc" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="COVID-19 pandemic">pandemic</a>.<sup about="#mwt217" class="mw-ref reference" data-mw='{"name":"ref","attrs":{},"body":{"id":"mw-reference-text-cite_note-41"}}' id="cite_ref-41" rel="dc:references" typeof="mw:Extension/ref"><a href="./March_11#cite_note-41" id="mwAVg" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 41;"><span class="mw-reflink-text" id="mwAVk">[41]</span></a></sup>
<span class="mw-reference-text" id="mw-reference-text-cite_note-41"><cite about="#mwt214" class="citation web cs1" id="mwCE4"><a class="external text" href="https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020" id="mwCE8" rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow">"WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020"</a>. <i id="mwCFA"><a href="./World_Health_Organization" id="mwCFE" rel="mw:WikiLink" title="World Health Organization">World Health Organization</a></i>. March 11, 2020<span class="reference-accessdate" id="mwCFI">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" id="mwCFM">March 14,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span about="#mwt214" class="Z3988" id="mwCFQ" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=World+Health+Organization&amp;rft.atitle=WHO+Director-General%27s+opening+remarks+at+the+media+briefing+on+COVID-19+-+11+March+2020&amp;rft.date=2020-03-11&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Fdg%2Fspeeches%2Fdetail%2Fwho-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMarch+11"></span></span>