Opening up without control of COVID-19 is “Recipe for Disaster”: WHO

GENEVA: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, August 31, that no country can just pretend the pandemic is over. The reality is this virus spreads easily and opening up without control is a recipe for disaster, he said. Tedros acknowledged that many people are getting tired of the restrictions and want to return to normal life after being eight months into the pandemic.

The WHO completely supported attempts to re-open economies and communities, Tedros said at a news conference, adding that they want to see children going to school and people returning to work, but it should be done with complete safety. The explosive outbreak of the coronavirus has been associated with gatherings of people at stadiums, nightclubs, places of worship and other crowds, where the respiratory virus can easily spread amongst people, Tedros said. He further said that decisions on how and when to allow people to gather must be taken with a risk-based approach in a local context.