WHO: If you lift measures, be prepared for the virus's return

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - WHO Director Tedros Ghebreyesus warned countries planning to ease pandemic containment measures to be prepared for a swift response in case of a new COVID-19 epidemic.

Ghebreyesus stated at a virtual meeting with the health ministers of G20 member states on Sunday that he is encouraged by the fact that several members are beginning to plan how to ease social restrictions due to the pandemic.

However, as reported by AP, he pointed out that it is crucial for measures to ease these restrictions to be implemented in phases.

Lifting restrictive measures, he added, does not mean the end of the epidemic in any country, "but only the beginning of the next phase.".

"It is vital that in this next phase, countries educate, engage, and empower their people to prevent and respond quickly to any new outbreak (of the virus). To ensure they have the capacity to test, isolate, and care for every case, and to trace every contact, and to ensure their health systems have the capacity to cope with any increase in the number of cases," said Tedros.

The WHO Director also expressed concern about the strengthening of the coronavirus pandemic in poorer countries, which lack the resources to combat a large number of positive cases.