Opening up without a control on COVID-19 is an invitation to disaster: WHO

New Delhi : Countries carrying large number of coronavirus cases must stay away from amplifying events which involve large number of people movement, said WHO, issuing a warning that opening up without the virus being under control would be a "recipe for disaster".

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that people are getting tired of being in restrictions and want to get back to normal routine soon but careful moves are necessary.

The WHO fully supported efforts to reopen economies and societies, he told a news conference, adding: "We want to see children returning to school and people returning to workplaces, but we want to see it done safely."

"No country can just pretend the pandemic is over," he said. "The reality is this virus spreads easily. Opening up without control is a recipe for disaster."

He also mentioned that outbreaks have been registered in places where people were gathered in large numbers like at stadiums, nightclubs, places of worship and other crowds, where the respiratory virus can spread easily among clusters of people, Tedros said.

"Decisions about how and when to allow gatherings of people must be taken with a risk-based approach, in the local context," he said.