The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of negative side effects of nationwide lockdowns in the fight against the corona pandemic. Strict restrictions could help to break chains of infection and contribute to the recovery of the health system, said the organization’s European Director, Hans Kluge, on Thursday. However, this comes at a price: an increase in mental illness and domestic violence is to be expected.
Kluge also referred to the economic damage caused by strict restrictions. “In view of these realities, we consider national lockdowns to be the means of the last alter native, because they circumvent the still existing possibility to involve everyone in basic and effective measures. At the same time, the WHO expert emphasized that Europe had again become the center of the pandemic. The death rate and the number of hospital patients were also rising again.
A further expansion of testing capacities on a larger scale was no longer possible in view of the massive spread of the virus, explained Kluge. “We have to find out where we should concentrate our resources. This includes “adapting” the strategy for testing and contact tracing. Both must be “targeted” to ensure “maximum effect”.
— hp with reports from news agencies. Picture: pixabay.com
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