Covid-19: there is a long way to go
Director General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom has warned against opening up global travel too quickly
Adhanom said that growing numbers of people are becoming infected with Covid-19 in parts of Africa and central and South America, and cautioned that the ‘virus will be with us for a long time’.
Opening up global travel would require ‘careful risk management’
“Although numbers are low,” he said, “we see worrying upward trends in Africa, Central and South America, and eastern Europe.” He emphasised that when global travel does open up again, it needs to be managed carefully: “Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics and some that were affected early in the pandemic are starting to see a resurgence in cases.”
WHO’s top emergencies expert Mike Ryan said that opening up global travel would require ‘careful risk management’.
"Make no mistake, we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time," said Tedros.
This stands as a stark reminder that we cannot become complacent about Covid-19. The virus continues to infect people and claim lives and only with continued social distancing measures and closed borders can we hope to halt its progress.