UN headquarters starts reopening

The United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday started its phase one reopening after four months of closure due to the spread of COVID-19.

"Phase one means that no more than 400 people should be in headquarters at any given day," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"Currently, we have about 200 to 300 UN staff and delegates who have been coming in, including those who handle security, maintenance and cleaning.

"So, the moving up of the ceiling to 400 will be quite small and not really visible," said Dujarric, adding that "phase two will be rolled out gradually".

On normal workdays, some 11,000 people including UN staff, delegates and visitors enter the UN premises.

The UN Security Council met physically on July 14 for the first time since March 12. The setting was not the council's usual chamber in the UN headquarters but the Economic and Social Council conference room－affording safe distancing for the 15 council members and the principal people on their teams. People wore masks except when they spoke into microphones.

New York City entered phase four of its reopening on Monday without resuming additional indoor activities, as city officials are concerned about a potential second wave of coronavirus infections brought in from new hotspots across the United States.

The UN chief first ordered all staff at UN headquarters in New York to work from home between March 16 and April 12. Exceptions were made for those whose presence in the office was needed for essential UN business to be carried out.

Guterres then successively extended the arrangements over the following months.

Xinhua