WHO chief slams COVID messages
Government leaders eroding trust, he says
GENEVA — The World Health Organization’s chief on Monday slammed some government leaders for eroding public trust by sending mixed messages on the coronavirus and warned that their failures to stop their countries’ spiraling outbreaks mean there would be no return to normal “for the foreseeable future.”
WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not call out specific politicians for criticism but said “too many countries are headed in the wrong direction” with the pandemic and some were not taking the proper steps to curb infections.
At the same time, Tedros acknowledged how difficult it was for governments to respond effectively, given the economic, social and cultural consequences of imposing restrictions.
“The virus remains public enemy No. 1, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this,” he said.
The director-general’s remarks to reporters in Geneva came a day after WHO reported yet another worldwide record of more than 230,000 confirmed cases in 24 hours.
The U.N. health agency said government and individual responses should depend on local conditions — namely, whether there is widespread community spread of the virus.
Take schools: Many countries have reopened classrooms as their daily case counts fell, but some nations are playing “political football” by calling for schools to reopen without having broader control measures in place such as keeping shops closed or limiting public gatherings, WHO said.
“Mixed messages from leaders are undermining the most critical ingredient of any response: trust,” Tedros said Monday, adding that governments should communicate clearer public health messages and individuals should maintain social distancing, mask-wearing, hand-washing and staying home when they have COVID-19 symptoms.
As the U.K. emerges from a nationwide lockdown, government leaders were chastised in recent days for giving inconsistent statements on the merits of wearing face masks inside public place, among other issues.
The British government decided Monday to require people to wear face coverings in shops, joining a long list of countries that have made masks mandatory under some circumstances.
After weeks of prevarication and days of confused messaging, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government said that masks will be required in stores starting July 24.
Without applying basic outbreak-control methods, “there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,” WHO chief Tedros cautioned.
“It’s going to get worse and worse and worse,” he said, continuing with a blunt warning. “There will be no return to the old normal for the foreseeable future.”
In other developments:
Ultra-orthodox protesters clashed with Israeli police in a Jerusalem neighborhood that has been placed under lockdown due to a coronavirus outbreak. As Israel grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases, it has begun to impose restrictions on selected towns and neighborhoods with high infection rates. Many of these areas are ultra-orthodox, and residents say they are being unfairly singled out. About 400 people protested late Monday in Jerusalem’s Romema neighborhood.
Quebec is making masks mandatory in all indoor public spaces. Premier François Legault said shop owners will be responsible for enforcing it. Masks are mandatory in Canada’s largest city of Toronto but not in some other parts of Ontario.
The first doctor in Kenya to die of COVID-19 was buried Monday, amid calls by health professionals for better insurance coverage and compensation. Colleagues say Dr. Doreen Lugaliki was infected while attending to patients who had the virus.