Are Lockdowns Enough To End Coronavirus? WHO Expert Says NO

Stuck in the global crisis of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak much of Europe and the United States is following what China and other Asian countries are doing to control the outbreak - locking down their borders, states, and societies, with strict movement restrictions.

Countries are now observing work from homes as offices have been shut down as well as schools, bars, pubs, and restaurants. But will these drastic lockdown measures be enough to end coronavirus- as per WHO’s top emergency expert, the answer is no.

Mike Ryan, World Health Organization’s emergency expert, explained that no matter how severe the lockdowns are, countries can’t simply defeat coronavirus by shutting down borders and public places. They need to employ strict public health measures as well to ensure that the virus does not make a comeback when the restrictions are lifted.

“What we really need to focus on is finding those who are sick, those who have the virus, and isolate them, find their contacts and isolate them,” Mike Ryan said in an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

“The danger right now with the lockdowns ... if we don’t put in place the strong public health measures now when those movement restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, the danger is the disease will jump back up,” he added.

So, as Ryan explained, countries now have to follow the examples of China, Singapore, and South Korea and apply not just lockdowns but also rigorous measures to test every person with the possibility to be infected by the virus.

“Once we’ve suppressed the transmission, we have to go after the virus. We have to take the fight to the virus,” Ryan said.

With Italy being the worst-hit country with the coronavirus pandemic at the moment and the UK expected to fall in its steps, Britain’s health system needs to check all its potential cases before the death toll rises. British housing minister Robert Jenrick has assured that the production of coronavirus will be doubled next week and of the many vaccines being developed to counter Covid-19, one has already begun trials in the United States.