WHO in Europe Says Virus Lockdowns Should Be ‘Last-Resort’

The World Health Organization in Europe said Thursday that nationwide lockdowns should be treated as a "last resort" option, even as it noted that the continent had returned to the "epicenter" of the pandemic.

While widespread closures would "cut off the transmission of the population and give the health system much-needed room to recover and improve," they also cost a tremendous amount of money, said the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, in a statement delivered to the emergency meeting of European Health Ministers, reports AFP.

As more and more European countries are taking drastic steps to curb the spread, Kluge also said that a strong response does not have to entail the tight lockdowns seen in the spring.

Downsides to national lockdowns included poor mental health, increased domestic violence and economic harm, he warned.

“Given these realities, we consider national lockdowns a last-resort option because they bypass the still-existing possibility to engage everyone in basic and effective measures.”

With cases spiralling upwards, the regional director also concluded that testing could no longer be ramped up “at scale”.

“We need to assess where to focus our resources. Adapting testing and tracing so that they are used in a targeted way for maximum impact.”

The European region registered the highest weekly incidence of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, he said.

“Europe is at the epicentre of this pandemic once again,” Kluge said, pointing out that mortality rates and hospitalisations were also rising.

WHO Europe includes 53 countries, including Russia and countries in Central Asia. The organisation said the region had passed the “10-million-case milestone” on Thursday.