WHO: Risk of returning to lockdown ‘very real’ if countries don’t manage coronavirus transitions carefully

The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the risk of returning to coronavirus lockdowns remains ‘very real’ if countries don’t manage their transitions extremely carefully.

“Government-ordered lockdowns have become increasingly unpopular as countries suffer rising unemployment and economic activity grinds to a halt,” report John Revill and Emma Farge at Reuters:

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to ensure they had adequate measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 respiratory disease like tracking systems and quarantine provision.

“The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach,” he said at a virtual briefing in Geneva.

WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove supported his concerns about the disease which has infected 3.71 million globally and killed more than 258,000 people, according to a Reuters tally.

“If lockdown measures are lifted too quickly, the virus can take off,” Van Kerkhove told the briefing.

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WHO warns against rushed end to coronavirus lockdowns

.@WHO and @UNICEF are supporting decision-makers in keeping populations safe, keeping essential services running at community level and keeping #healthworkers fighting #COVID19 on the frontlines protected. https://t.co/nH5v2YRpPy

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 6, 2020