People, wear face masks as they rest in Sabana Grande's boulevard, in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 14, 2020 amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. (FEDERICO PARRA / AFP)

CARACAS - Venezuela’s government has signed an agreement with the opposition-led National Assembly to work with the regional arm of the World Health Organization to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday.

COVID-19 does not respect or discriminate against gender, orientation or political party. 

Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuelan Information Minister

The parties will seek funds to cover a range of responses from improving testing, acquiring more protective gear and launching public health messaging campaigns, among others, Rodgriguez said.The one-page agreement was signed on June 1 between Health Minister Carlos Alvarado, Dr Julio Castro, who leads the National Assembly’s commission on the coronavirus, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Rodriguez said.

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“COVID-19 does not respect or discriminate against gender, orientation or political party,” Rodriguez said on state television on Tuesday night. “So this is good news, a good start, so that we can deepen our work together to combat COVID-19.”

COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The health ministry, the information ministry, and Castro did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Opposition leader Juan Guaido said in an earlier statement the opposition had signed a technical agreement with the PAHO to launch programs focusing on protective equipment for medical personnel, improving case detection and giving treatment to those with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Rodriguez reported 1,819 coronavirus cases and 18 deaths. Critics and academic reports have said the government is likely underreporting cases as it is not conducting sufficient testing.

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