• April 22, 2020
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WHO’s Kasai: Easing lockdowns should be gradual

The World Health Organisation has warned nations that lifting lockdowns should be done in a gradual manner, otherwise there is a high risk of a resurgence in infections. In an online press conference, WHO Western Pacific regional director Takeshi Kasai said: “If restrictions are relaxed too soon before a strong system is in place to identify, isolate, care for the sick and trace their contacts, this will likely lead to a resurgence of the disease.”

The regional director also stressed important key principles, such as basing decisions on data and public health principles, lifting lockdowns and restrictions in a phased, gradual manner, and addressing individual interventions in a risk-based manner taking into account the cultural context in assessing its effectiveness.

Kasai acknowledged the efficacy of lockdowns and other strict measures “in slowing down and reducing the transmission” of the viral disease, but also recognised the massive impact of such stringent policies on economies and the lives of millions of people.

The WHO official cautioned the public that this is not the time to be lax and said everyone must prepare for a “new normal” moving forward. “We need to ready ourselves for a new way of living in the foreseeable future,” said Kasai.

To date, the coronavirus disease has infected over 2.4 million people and killed nearly 170,000. The WHO has more than 70 candidate vaccines undergoing studies, of which three are in the first phase of clinical trials and one in the second phase.