WHO warns about dangers of premature lifting of COVID-19 restrictions

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries on Friday to be cautious about lifting restrictions introduced to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. The WHO would like to see an easing, but at the same time "lifting restrictions could lead to a deadly resurgence," Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

He said there had been a "welcome slowing" of epidemics in some European countries - Italy, Germany, Spain and France - but there had been an "alarming acceleration" in other countries including community transmission in 16 countries of Africa.