Geneva, July 14 (RHC)-- The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the prospect of returning to normal life will not be possible for the “foreseeable future” as many countries have untimely eased restrictions in their fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.
WHO’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus raised the alarm on Monday and said there could be no return to normality any time soon as too many countries were bungling their response to the flu-like pathogen.
Ghebreyesus said the countries that eased their way out of lockdowns were now witnessing a resurgence of the virus as they had failed to follow proven methods to reduce the risk of transmission.
“I want to be straight with you; there will be no return to the 'old normal' for the foreseeable future,” Ghebreyesus told a virtual news briefing. "Let me blunt; too many countries are headed in the wrong direction. The virus remains public enemy number one, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this."
The WHO chief said if governments fail to pursue a comprehensive strategy to stem the transmission of the virus, and if populations do not adhere to strict healthcare precautions, “It's going to get worse and worse and worse.”
After a daily record of 230,000 new cases were reported to the WHO on Sunday, the UN health agency said the pandemic was only going to get worse unless people followed the basics of physical distancing, handwashing and wearing masks.
The novel coronavirus has killed nearly 570,000 people and infected more than 12.9 million since the outbreak in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
In recent months, calls have been growing inside the US and abroad for Washington to lift its unilateral sanctions, which are throwing a wrench into global efforts to rein in the respiratory disease known as COVID-19.
The UN, the European Union and human rights organizations as well as several American lawmakers and political figures have been pressing the administration of US President Donald Trump to ease the bans on Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, among others on the sanctions list.
