Bangladesh, Sept. 4 -- Noting that the pandemic has forced "unprecedented lockdowns, travel suspensions and limited movement across borders, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Group of 20 (G20) countries to take concerted action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better.

Speaking to an emergency meeting of G20 foreign ministers on the COVID crisis, Guterres said "concerns are growing that some of the current movement restrictions could outlast the immediate crisis," reports Xinhua.

He flagged "five focus areas" for the discussion, requesting first that they seek agreement on common objective criteria in relation to the removal of travel restrictions, based on scientific evidence.

Second, the...