United States: The United States House of Representatives has approved a bill that would require government intelligence agencies to declassify information related to the origins of COVID-19.

The bill was approved with 419 votes in favour and zero votes against it. The bill will be sent to the desk of US President Mr. Joe Biden, who has not indicated whether he plans to sign or veto the legislation, which was approved by a unanimous Senate vote.

Even if the president vetoes the bill, both chambers of Congress may have the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill.

“Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy,” Representative Mr. Jim Himes, the Democrat ranking member on the House Committee on Intelligence, stated during a brief debate.

“The American public deserves answers to every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes how this virus was created and, specifically, whether it was a natural occurrence or the result of a lab-related event,” Representative Michael Turner, the Republican chairman of the committee, commented.

Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also urged all countries to reveal what they know about the origins of COVID-19. The WHO Directable” andtor-General Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked that “all hypotheses on the origins of the virus remain on the table”and  urged countries to resist politicising the search for the virus’s origins.

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