A UN expert on Monday said that adopting an alternative name for the coronavirus with geographic references and expressions of xenophobia is "irresponsible" and "discriminatory."

"It's dismaying to witness state officials – including the President of the United States – adopting alternative names for the COVID-19 coronavirus," Tendayi Achiume, UN's special rapporteur on racism, stressed in a media statement.

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She urged that governments must ensure that their response to the COVID-19 pandemic does not contribute to xenophobia and racial discrimination, and must eradicate xenophobia throughout all state policy and messaging.

"This sort of calculated use of a geography-based name for this virus is rooted in and fosters racism and xenophobia. In this case, it serves to isolate and stigmatize individuals who are or are perceived to be of Chinese or of other East Asian descent," the expert noted.

She cited the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying that "disease names really do matter to the people who are directly affected ... certain disease names provoke a backlash against members of particular religious or ethnic communities ... This can have serious consequences for peoples' lives and livelihoods."

Noting that the consequences of using such xenophobic expressions have already became a reality, Achiume said people who are perceived or known to be of Chinese or other East Asian descents have been subject to racist and xenophobic attacks related to the virus over the past two months.

She added "these attacks have ranged from hateful slurs to denial of services or even brutal acts of violence."

"Crises like the coronavirus pandemic remind us that we are all connected and that our well-being is interdependent," Achiume said, adding that using political rhetoric and policy to stoke fears and diminish equality is counterproductive.

"To treat and combat the spread of COVID-19 effectively, individuals must have access to accurate health advice and sufficient healthcare without fear of discrimination."

The EU's top diplomat on Monday also slammed the use of terms like "Chinese virus."

"This is not the time to blame each other. This is not the time to use one disease or one virus or Chinese virus or to try to blame each other," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said after a video conference of EU foreign affairs ministers. 

He added, "We have to strengthen the need for cooperation. This is the time to strengthen multilateralism in order to join efforts and to face together a threat to the whole mankind."