No more COVIDs: Trump bans gain of function research | WATCH

President Donald Trump just signed an executive order today (Monday) banning gain of function research by the government or government supported entities and bodies.

The order comes following multiple intelligence and government assessments that COVID-19, the lethal respiratory virus that killed millions in 2020-1, likely escaped from a virology lab in Wuhan, China, and was engineered by scientists in dangerous conditions.

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According to the White House, the order:

"— Ends any present and all future Federal funding of dangerous gain-of-function research in countries of concern like China and Iran and in foreign nations deemed to have insufficient research oversight.

"— Empowers American research agencies to identify and end Federal funding of other biological research that could pose a threat to American public health, public safety, or national security.

"— Prohibits Federal funding from contributing to foreign research likely to cause another pandemic. These measures will drastically reduce the potential for lab-related incidents involving gain-of-function research, like that conducted on bat coronaviruses in China by the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology.

"— Protects Americans from lab accidents and other biosecurity incidents, such as those that likely caused COVID-19 and the 1977 Russian flu."