Copenhagen (AFP)
The European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that despite "positive signs" seen in some countries in the region, it was too early to cut back on measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus .
"Now is not the time to relax the measures. It is time to double and triple once again our collective efforts to eliminate (the virus), with the support of society as a whole", said Hans Kluge at a press conference broadcast online from Copenhagen.
WHO Europe has called on "all countries" to strengthen their efforts in three areas: the protection of health personnel, keeping "healthy people out of suspicious and probable cases" and communicating to with regard to the populations.
The organization urged governments and authorities to maintain monitoring structures and to communicate constantly so that everyone complies with "possible present and future measures".
Even if certain countries of the continent show "positive signs" in their fight against the virus, Hans Kluge judges the situation in Europe still "very worrying".
Some countries like Spain and Italy, the two most affected European countries, "are beginning to show signs of a decrease in the rate of increase in new cases," he said. However, he continues, "seven of the ten most affected countries in the world are located in the European region".
"It would be dangerous to think that we are nearing the end," he added.
Earlier this week, however, Austria, Norway and Denmark announced plans to gradually lift restrictions starting in mid-April.
WHO Europe, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, includes 53 countries as diverse as Russia and Andorra, has more than 687,000 official cases and 52,824 deaths linked to the virus, according to figures from the organization.
© 2020 AFP