Britons ‘go back to WHO issues warning
because that is when you are going to get flu, you are going to get real problems of general public health, and there is a risk that the virus will come back again anyway.
“It is so important now to make real, real progress in driving it down.”
Meanwhile, the WHO has warned the coronavirus pandemic has still not reached its peak – as lockdown measures are relaxed to make international travel easier.
Director general of the WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus is not under control “in most of the world” and is in fact “getting worse”.
His stark message comes as quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from certain countries are relaxed from Friday.
The UK Government has published a list of 76 countries and territories from which people arriving into England will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days.
The Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive decided to follow the same approach, but the Scottish Government produced a list of just 39 countries not including Spain or Serbia.
Dr Ghebreyesus said the total number of cases of coronavirus worldwide has doubled in the past six weeks.
Speaking at the member state briefing on the Covid-19 pandemic evaluation, he said: “The virus has upended health systems in some of the world’s wealthiest nations, while some countries that have mounted a successful response have been of modest means.
“We know that when countries take a comprehensive approach based on fundamental public health measures – such as find, isolate, test and treat cases, and trace and quarantine contacts – the outbreak can be brought under control. But in most of the world the virus is not under control. It is getting worse. More than 11.8 million cases of Covid-19 have now been reported to WHO. More than 544,000 lives have been lost.
“And the pandemic is still accelerating. The total number of cases has doubled in the last six weeks.”
The relaxation of the quarantine rules has largely been welcomed by political figures and the tourism industry, although Labour has criticised the Government for failing to set up so-called air bridges to other countries.
Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon said that workers and holidaymakers were paying the price of the Government’s failure to act.
He added: “The fact they have been unable to negotiate air bridges is an indictment of their failure to tackle the crisis at home.”
For people choosing to shun holidays to stay at home in England, swimming pools, gyms and outdoor arts performances were given the green light to reopen in the latest easing of the lockdown.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said outdoor pools will be able to reopen from today to be followed by indoor pools, gyms and other sports facilities from July 25.
Theatres, opera, dance and music will also be able to resume outdoors from this weekend, although audience numbers will be restricted and will be subject to social-distancing rules.