The Latest: WHO appoints 2 women to lead pandemic panel

GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization says former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will lead a new panel to give an “honest assessment” of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointments to the newly created Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

“I cannot Imagine two more strong-minded, independent leaders to help guide us through this critical learning process to help us understand what happened -- an honest assessment and to help us understand also what we should do to prevent such a tragedy in the future,” he said Thursday.

The announcement comes after the WHO’s general assembly in May called for a comprehensive evaluation of the WHO and the world response to the outbreak. It comes after repeated criticism by U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration of the U.N. health agency over its handling of the pandemic and alleged deference to China, where COVID-19 first emerged.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— Trump to U.S. schools: Reopen or you may lose federal funds.

— Getting children back to school safely could mean keeping high-risk spots like bars and gyms closed.

— Americans face testing delays as virus surges.

— China defends WHO, lashes out at U.S. move to withdraw

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Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BRUSSELS — Belgium government’s health advisers are recommending wearing mandatory masks in shops to keep the spread of the coronavirus at its current low level.

The...