Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. Eight months into the pandemic, we understand that people are tired and yearn to get on with their lives.
We understand that countries want to get their societies and economies going again. That’s what WHO wants too. Stay-at-home orders and other restrictions are something that some countries felt they needed to do to take pressure off their health systems.
But they have taken a heavy toll on livelihoods, economies and mental health. WHO fully supports efforts to re-open economies and societies.
We want to see children returning to school and people returning to the workplace – but we want to see it done safely. At the same time, no country can just pretend the pandemic is over.