Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, Director General of World Health Organisation, on Wednesday cautioned countries affected with Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that lockdowns will not be enough to eradicate the virus from the world.
Although the nations have implemented lockdowns to reduce the spread of the virus, they need to plan additional measures urgently for eradicating it, he said.
Speaking on lockdown measures Ghebreyesu said, “We call on all countries who have introduced so-called lockdown measures, to use this time to attack the virus. You have created a second window of opportunity, the question is how will you use it?”
He added that the affected nations can avoid the economic and social restrictions brought about by lockdowns only by implementing “aggressive measures to find, isolate, test, treat and trace” COVID-19 suspects.
Several countries across the world have gone under lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19 which has infected over 4 lakh people worldwide, causing over 18,000 deaths. India went under a countrywide lockdown from Tuesday midnight for 21 days.
In India, 635 persons have so far tested positive, of whom 42 have been treated and discharged. There have been 13 across the country.
