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The head of the World Health Organization warned Monday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, even as some countries began easing restrictions.
Trust us. The worst is yet to come, “said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It is a virus that many people still don’t understand.”
He compared the coronavirus outbreak, which worldwide sickened almost 2.5 million people and killed more than 167,000, to the 1918 Spanish flu that killed as many as 100 million. But he said such a serious result does not have to happen.
“Now we have technology, we can prevent that disaster, we can prevent that type of crisis,” said Tedros.
Several countries reduced their coronavirus restrictions on Monday.
German authorities allowed some small stores to reopen their doors after a four-week shutdown, while still enforcing social distancing rules. But Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that it is “inevitable” that new restrictions be imposed if the virus reappears.
Merkel said she understands the Germans’ desire to return to a sense of normalcy, but said: “It is very, very important that we do not neglect or believe ourselves safe, we must remain vigilant and disciplined.”
“I firmly believe that avoiding a setback, in which we would have to take harder measures again, is not only to combat the pandemic but also for the development of our economy and social life,” he said.
Elsewhere, Serbia, with some of the strictest coronavirus standards in Europe, allowed the reopening of open-air markets and some companies, such as dry cleaners and auto mechanics. The daily curfew was reduced by one hour and people over 65 will be able to go for a walk three times a week.
Hundreds of small businesses in Albania reopened on Monday for the first time in a month. Fishing boats and food processors also resumed operations.
Sri Lanka lifted curfews in two-thirds of the country, with plans for the rest to relax closing orders on Wednesday.
Students in Norway returned to school on Monday, while those in Denmark will return on Wednesday.
Protests have erupted in some countries where broad restrictions still exist, including the United States and Russia. American protesters have asked the governors of several states to allow them to return to work, and President Donald Trump expressed his support for the protesters.
Trump said Sunday in a coronavirus briefing that some governors have been “carried away” by his restrictions and that people have the right to protest. But he said none of that really matters in the end because he said states will start reopening.
But some governors say their states are far from ready to reopen. The United States has more than 761,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with a death toll exceeding 40,000.
In southern Russia, several hundred protesters booed a local official in the regional capital of North Ossetia, who said quarantine measures were still necessary. Police arrested several organizers of the rally.
Russia has recorded more than 47,000 coronavirus cases, with a death toll exceeding 400. President Vladimir Putin says Russia has slowed down the coronavirus outbreak but warned that his country has not yet seen the peak of infections.
Tedros of the WHO said he was “encouraged” by countries planning to ease social restrictions, but cautioned that it is “critical that these measures be a gradual process.”
New Zealand announced on Monday that it plans to start breaking out of a month-long lockdown starting April 27 with such a gradual approach. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said some restrictions will be eased for a two-week period, at which point her government will assess the situation and decide whether to allow more activities.
Officials in South Korea also urged a cautious approach after lifting some closure measures as the number of new cases there continued to show a sustained decline.
“We should not let our guard down until the last confirmed patient recovers,” said President Moon Jae-in.
A British government minister said pubs and restaurants will remain closed after the country begins easing its national closure on May 7.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa says mines and factories may reopen, but he has extended his country’s blockade that was supposed to end on Sunday for another two weeks.
