Geneva: As the latest updates show globally, there have been 6,23,63,527 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 14,56,687 deaths, last week saw the first decline in newly-reported cases globally since September due to a decrease in cases in Europe.
Terming it as a “welcome news”, the World Health Organisation said that this decline must be interpreted with extreme caution. “Gains can easily be lost, and there was still an increase in cases in most other regions of the world, and an increase in deaths,” it said.
The WHO attributed the decline to “the effectiveness of difficult but necessary measures put in place in recent weeks,” and warned against any complacency at this stage, especially when holiday seasons are approaching in many cultures and countries.
“We all want to be together with the people we love during festive periods. But being with family and friends is not worth putting them or yourself at risk.We all need to consider whose life we might be gambling with in the decisions we make,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said here today.
The WHO urged all to follow the local or national guidelines and avoid travel. “The first question to ask yourself is, do you need to travel? Do you really need to travel.For many people, this is a season for staying home and staying safe,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said. He however said that although the COVID-19 pandemic will change the way we celebrate, “but it doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate. We still can celebrate”.
The WHO DG offered the following tips for celebrations during X’Mas and New Year:
- Celebrate with your household, and avoid gatherings with many different households and families coming together.
- If you do meet people from a different household, meet outdoors if you can, maintain physical distance and wear a mask.
- Avoid crowded shopping centres, shop at less crowded times, and use online shopping if you can.
- If travelling is essential, take precautions to minimize the risk – for you and others.
- Maintain distance from others and wear a mask when you’re in airports and train stations, and on planes, trains and buses.
- Carry hand sanitiser with you, or wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
- If you feel unwell, don’t travel.
“Even if we can’t celebrate as normal this year, make a plan to celebrate with your family and friends once it’s safe to do so. We know it will be safe, it’s a matter of time,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said. He offered to reassure that from WHO’s side “we’re sure we can defeat the pandemic using existing tools and the vaccines that are in the pipeline”. However, according to him, the most important thing was to have hope, and not only hope but solidarity to work together.
– globalbihari bureau
