Don’t end restrictions too quickly — WHO

ZURICH/GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned yesterday that countries emerging from restrictions to halt the new coronavirus must proceed ‘‘extremely carefully’’ or risk a rapid rise in new cases.

Directorgeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries needed to ensure they had adequate measures to control the spread of Covid19, such as tracking systems and quarantine provision.

‘‘The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach,’’ he said at a virtual briefing in Geneva.

WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove supported his concerns about the disease which has infected 3.83 million globally and killed more than 265,000 people, according to the worldometer website.

‘‘If lockdown measures are lifted too quickly, the virus can take off,’’ Van Kerkhove told the briefing.

Some countries, such as Germany, Spain and Italy, have started to relax restrictions, while United States President Donald Trump has said his focus is on opening up the country again.

Football authorities have also started to consider how they can salvage interrupted competitions, with Germany’s Bundesliga getting permission to restart later this month.

WHO official Mike Ryan said it was up to governments and sporting federations to decide how and when to restart, adding the United Nations organisaton would offer risk management advice if needed.

Trump said yesterday his White House coronavirus task force would remain in place but with a focus on medical treatments and easing restrictions on businesses and social life, and perhaps with different advisers.

The previous day Trump had said he planned to wind down the task force and replace it with ‘‘something in a different form’’.

In a series of tweets yesterday, Trump said that because of its success, ‘‘the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN. We may add or subtract people to it, as appropriate. The Task Force will also be very focused on Vaccines & Therapeutics.’’

µRussia's coronavirus case tally surged to 177,160 yesterday after a record daily rise in infections, meaning it now has the fifthhighest number of registered cases in the world and more cases than in Germany or France.

The number of new cases jumped by 11,231 in 24 hours, the country's coronavirus task force said.

More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia's outbreak, which yesterday reported a record overnight increase of 6703 new cases.

Russia's official death toll, which remains far lower than in many countries, rose to 1625 after 88 people died overnight, the task force said. — Reuters