UNO warns of famine of “biblical proportion” unless virus is halted

The UN has warned of famine of "biblical proportions" if the coronavirus is not stopped. Photo: golos.ua

On April 21, 2020, Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) David Beasley said that because of the coronavirus, humanity could face “biblical scale” hunger in a few months if measures are not taken to ensure food security in the vulnerable countries, the WFP press service said.

David Beasley noted that coronavirus does not only pose a serious threat to human health but can also spark a global humanitarian catastrophe, when millions of civilians living in the conflict zone teeter on the brink of starvation.

“If we can’t reach these people with the life-saving assistance they need, our analysis shows that 300,000 people could starve to death every single day over a three-month period”, he upheld. 

According to Mr. Beasley, "135 million people can be facing crisis levels of hunger or worse, coupled with an additional 130 million on the edge of starvation prompted by COVID-19 in the worst-case scenario.”

The UN called key points that cause serious concern.

About 265 million people in low- and middle-income countries will be affected by acute food insecurity by the end of 2020 unless quick action is taken.

David Beasley also named 10 countries facing a food crisis in 2019: Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria and Haiti.

As reported by the UOJ, in India, Ukrainians in quarantine were forced to live in a cave due to the lack of money.

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