Reporter's Vlog: UN's first telecommuting day in response to COVID-19 outbreak. (Xinhua/Xie E)
"I've been working at the UN for 32 years, but this is the first time that I've seen the UN operate this way on a normal workday."
UNITED NATIONS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Monday was an unusual day for one of the cleaners working at the United Nations (UN), as the 39-storied UN Secretariat building and the adjacent General Assembly building appeared to be exceptionally quiet.
"I've been working at the UN for 32 years, but this is the first time that I've seen the UN operate this way on a normal workday," the woman said, who did not give her name.
It was the first day of telecommuting for the UN following UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' demand on Friday that all staff work remotely for the next four weeks, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the UN headquarters in New York.
This morning when Xinhua entered the UN complex from the staff entrance on Manhattan's 1st Avenue, a pungent odor of disinfectant pervaded the air.
Photo taken on March 12, 2020 shows the closed United Nations Gift Center at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang)
Walking past the square into the Secretariat building, another cleaner was seen disinfecting a desk, wearing gloves and a face mask. At first glance, no other people were seen on the first floor of the building.
With no meetings held other than the regular noon news briefing, the General Assembly Hall, the Security Council Chamber and all other conference rooms remained shut.
On the third and fourth floors, where the international press corps are usually based, less than 10 journalists showed up, six of whom attended the daily news briefing, raising questions about COVID-19.
People are scattered at the Delegates Lounge at the UN headquarters in New York, on March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang)
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, confirmed at the briefing that a person who works in the Secretariat building had tested positive for the coronavirus.
On Thursday, the first case of COVID-19 at the UN headquarters was reported by a diplomat with the Philippines mission to the UN, who said that a Philippine colleague had tested positive for the coronavirus and had therefore notified the UN medical director's office.
Photo taken on March 12, 2020 shows the closed Guided Tours Ticket Desk at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang)
Unlike the normal hustle and bustle, the rotation count of the security turnstiles in the morning stood at 918, far below the usual 11,000, according to Dujarric, who was informed of the figure by the security chief before the briefing.
Dujarric said Thursday that the UN chief had canceled all UN system-sponsored side events at the headquarters scheduled for March and April as a response to the coronavirus crisis.
Prior to that, the UN announced on Tuesday the suspension of public access to the world organization. To put it into perspective, the UN headquarters in New York usually receives about 1 million visitors a year from around the world.
Photo taken on March 12, 2020 shows a scaled-down meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang)
Over the past weeks, the evolving COVID-19 situation has affected the planned agenda of the UN Security Council, which has postponed all meetings scheduled for this week, according to one of the Council's work programs seen by Xinhua.
Despite the severity of the situation, the UN secretary-general insisted on showing up at his office on the 38th floor of the Secretariat building.
Guterres emphasized that the organization "remains open for business," but "our work will be done from different locations, using different technologies."
Photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a hall of the United Nations headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Wang Jiangang)
Outside in the UN Rose Garden, meanwhile, it was just another day for the busy sanitation workers, with one gardener cautiously pruning the rose trees.
"They need a good trimming," he said, as his co-workers swept fallen leaves around him. "After all, spring has come."
(Article by Xinhua Reporter Wang Jiangang) ■
