WHO warns lifting of coronavirus lockdowns must be gradual

BEIJING — The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections.

Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function while the coronavirus is being kept in check, said Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

We must adapt our lives and health systems along with the epidemic, Kasai told an online press conference. “At least until a vaccine, or a very effective treatment, is found, this process will need to become our new normal.”

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Governments considering lifting lockdown measures should do so carefully and in stages, and continue to monitor the epidemic situation, he said. So long as the coronavirus is circulating, no country is safe from a potentially overwhelming outbreak, he said.

“Individuals and society need to be ready for a new way of living,” he said.

While the Western Pacific has in recent weeks been much less hard hit by the epidemic than the United States or Europe, there has been an increase in cases in Japan and Singapore, among other countries.

Kasai also warned that the epidemic must not disrupt vaccination programs against other diseases like polio, measles and rubella. Otherwise the Western Pacific could face a new crisis when health systems are already strained, he said.

VIRUS SOURCE

Kasai also said it is not possible to determine the precise source of the new coronavirus at this stage.

As of now, no conclusions could be made. However, the available evidence suggests an animal origin, Kasai told the online press conference.

US President Donald Trump said last week his government is trying to determine whether the coronavirus emanated from a lab in Wuhan in central China.

On Japan, Takei said WHO is concerned about the increasing number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, but Japan is not yet in the stage of a large-scale community outbreak.

In the same online briefing, Takei said Singapore is facing a very challenging situation to tackle a sharp increase in coronavirus infections, but has the healthcare system and risk management capacity to handle it.

He said Singapore had prior experience dealing with virus outbreaks and despite facing “very difficult challenges” from a surge in infections, was in a good position to manage it.

The city-state has 8,014 cases of coronavirus, the largest number in Southeast Asia.

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