WHO releases six criteria for lifting lockdown

April 16: ‘Lockdown’ is the new buzz word that the globe is now being accustomed to in the post-COVID-19 outbreak. Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO) during the media briefing on 13 April said, “As we have said many times before, this is a new virus, and the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. We’re all learning all the time and adjusting our strategy, based on the latest available evidence. We know that COVID-19 spreads fast, and we know that it is deadly – 10 times deadlier than the 2009 flu pandemic. That means control measures must be lifted slowly, and with control. It cannot happen all at once.”

Each government must assess their situation, while protecting all their citizens, and especially the most vulnerable. The new strategy summarizes what we’ve learned and charts the way forward. The Director General of WHO has listed six criteria for countries as they consider lifting restrictions:

1. Transmission is controlled.
2. Health system capacities are in place to detect, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact.
3. Outbreak risks are minimized in special settings like health facilities and nursing homes.
4. Preventive measures are in place in workplaces, schools and other places where it’s essential for people to go.
5. Importation risks can be managed.
6. Communities are fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the “new norm”.