Corona returns to his hometown in Wuhan ... is the world facing a setback?

Dr. Osama Abu Al-Rub

After some countries in the world started to ease the quarantine and closures measures they imposed to control the new epidemic of the Corona virus that causes Covid-19, bad news came from the "birthplace" of the virus, Wuhan in China, as new infections were recorded for the first time in more than a month, Will the world face a setback in responding to the epidemic?

Although the world continues its slow return to normality even though the outbreak of the new Corona virus has not stopped yet, the World Health Organization has called for "full vigilance" in dealing with lifting isolation restrictions.

And we start from Wuhan - from which the outbreak of the new Corona virus began at the end of last year from an animal market - where the city announced on Sunday and Monday six new infections, the first in the city more than a month ago, and the local authorities said that all new cases are from the same housing complex, Most of the injured are elderly people in Donzezhuhu.

On January 23, Wuhan was isolated, and the measures were lifted on April 8, after a very low infection spread.

Wuhan intends to examine all of its residents, while new cases raise fears of a re-spread of the infection, media reported on Tuesday.

The paper, "The Paper", published a circular issued by the municipality, giving each of the city's 13 districts - with a population of 11 million - a period of ten days to prepare an examination of its residents.

Mitigation of measures
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the country will gradually begin to reduce public isolation measures related to the Corona virus starting on Tuesday, explaining that each region will need to formulate its own approach according to changing local conditions.

And the Russian capital, Moscow, and other regions of the world are still subject to general isolation, while other regions in the country began a gradual and "very subtle" exit from the restrictions, according to Putin.

Meanwhile, Singapore allowed today Tuesday to open some stores and businesses such as hairdressing salons, and lifting insulation will begin in the US state of New York starting Friday, except for New York City.

In Spain, the lifting of restrictions was met with satisfaction on Monday among residents who managed to return to bars amid strict health measures.

Also in Ukraine, restaurants have been opened amid tight preventive measures, some questioning their effectiveness, and Gyorgy Moseliani said in a Kiev cafe: "How will this mask save us? It will not save us."

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to remove segregation has been met with widespread criticism, and the Teachers' Union has asserted that school teachers are reluctant to talk of a return to resuming lessons "unless this is really safe".

And in Norway, one of the first European countries to get students back to class, it turns out that this measure has not contributed to the further spread of the epidemic, and older students will also return to their schools this week.

Other countries, such as Turkey, are still hesitant to ease restrictions, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imposed four days of isolation from Saturday to Tuesday, but hairdressing salons and commercial centers began to open their doors.

Calling for caution at all times, Erdogan said, "We have before us examples from all over the world showing how leniency can lead to major disasters."

Blind progress,
but this isolation reduction may present a risk of a setback in controlling an outbreak. In fact, the experience of the first Asian countries that witnessed an outbreak of the epidemic urges a lot of caution, despite being mobilized and using sophisticated and wide-ranging means to accurately track the virus and the preventive measures that the population followed, Wuhan recorded new infections.

As for South Korea, it is fighting a new epidemic, which started from a 29-year-old who visited several bars and nightclubs.

Iran warned on Monday of a setback in its efforts to contain the Corona virus unless health regulations are further observed, and Khuzestan Province has become the new focus of Covid-19 outbreak in Iran, while the authorities have reimposed strict measures to stop its spread.

"We have suffered a setback in Khuzestan due to the (population's) failure to comply with the health rules," Deputy Health Minister Ali Reza Raisi said in televised remarks.

"This may happen in any other governorate unless we are careful," he said, noting that more stringent measures may be reimposed in other regions if necessary.

For his part, WHO Emergency Health Officer Michael Ryan stressed during a video conference that "full vigilance is necessary."

And he considered that "some countries" - which he did not name - chose to "close their eyes and advance blindly" towards lifting the isolation, without specifying the epidemics or attending enough medical capabilities.

Some experts fear that the hasty relief of isolation procedures - especially with scientists not having access to a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 disease - will give a false sense of safety and spread the infection in a way that puts pressure on health systems and leads to more injuries and deaths. 

Serious fears
These fears are not absent from many leaders and officials. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel again appealed to citizens to take caution in light of the ongoing Corona pandemic crisis, after demonstrations against the restrictions imposed on public life to limit the spread of infection.

As German news agency learned from sources participating in a video conference for the leadership of the Christian Democratic Party, Merkel said that she had seen reports that many citizens went shopping this week without wearing masks, saying that was bold to act, adding that rules still need to be adhered to. Applicable social distance.

"We are in a new phase of the spread of the epidemic ... With all mitigation measures we need to make sure that people adhere to basic safety rules, and here we mean social separation, wearing masks and taking into account each other, this is very important," Merkel was quoted as saying on Monday.

Merkel said that within two or three weeks, it will be clear how the easing of measures approved last week will affect the number of injuries.

For his part, Minister of Health Jens Young said during the conference that Germany has so far succeeded in dealing with the pandemic, because the citizens have abided by the restrictions, calling on citizens to continue to adhere to health safety standards.

The New York Times reported that the director of the National Institute of Allergy Diseases, Doctor Anthony Fawcci, will deliver a statement before the US Senate on Tuesday warning against the dangers of reopening the economy prematurely, and he says it could lead to unnecessary suffering and deaths.

"If we break through the guidelines in opening America again, we risk multiple outbreaks across the country," the newspaper quoted Doctor Fauchi as saying in an email.

"This will not only lead to unnecessary suffering and deaths, it will also lead to a setback in our endeavors to get things back to normal," he added.

The newspaper quoted Fauchi as saying late Monday that the danger of trying to open the economy prematurely is the primary message he would like to convey to the Senate Health, Education, Employment and Pensions Committee during Tuesday's meeting.

Waiting
in France, the Minister of Health stressed that Paris residents must wait another period before they can enjoy the green spaces in the city, despite the end of the closure imposed to prevent the outbreak of the Corona virus on Monday.

French Health Minister Oliver Ferrand today rejected an appeal from the capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to allow citizens to enter parks and gardens, in one of the most densely populated European cities.

"It does not mean that we do not want people to be able to get out and breathe the fresh air, but because it may be very tempting, with the sun that we see today to gather large numbers of people," Ferran said in televised remarks.