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WHO: New guidelines coming for nations thinking of easing restrictions

By Don Jacobson & Darryl Coote & Daniel Uria   |   Updated April 13, 2020 at 7:11 PM
Visitors walk past the St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is closed due to the coronavirus crisis, in central Beijing, China, on Sunday. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI A bicyclist passes the St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is closed due to the coronavirus crisis, in central Beijing, China, on Sunday. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI A skateboarder rides past the St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is closed due to the coronavirus crisis, in central Beijing, China, on Sunday. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI A visitor is seen at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is closed due to the coronavirus crisis, in central Beijing, China, on Sunday. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI

April 13 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization on Monday urged nations to continue lockdowns and social distancing restrictions even though rates of infection have begun to level off in many parts of the world.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the measures are still needed because knowledge about the coronavirus disease is incomplete -- and it's still not known for certain whether patients who recover are immune from reinfection.

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"That means control measures must be lifted slowly, and with control," he said at the WHO's daily update from Geneva, Switzerland.

"It cannot happen all at once. Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including significant capacity for contact tracing."

Ghebreyesus said the WHO will issue new guidelines on Tuesday with six criteria for authorities who are considering easing restrictions. They will include whether disease transmission is controlled and if national health systems have the capacity to trace every contact and treat every case.

Other guidelines will call for risks to be minimized in settings such as health facilities and nursing homes; workplaces to be secured; importation risks to be managed; and communities to be "fully educated, engaged and empowered to adjust to the new norm.'"

U.S. President Donald Trump and some other political leaders have voiced support for reopening schools and businesses as soon as possible. Trump has said he'd like to see it happen in May.

French President Emmanuel Macron extended France's lockdown until May 11, saying "the epidemic is not yet under control" in the country.

Macron said daycare centers and schools will reopen at the end of the lockdown while the country's most vulnerable citizens, primarily the elderly will be ordered to remain inside.

He vowed the authorities would be prepared to test and quarantine anyone with symptoms and "general public" masks would be available on that date.

Britain's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said Monday that he expected the number of deaths from the coronavirus to continue rising this week and that the country should not relax restrictions until the country was "firmly on the other side," implying they could remain in place for at least another month.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputizing for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from the coronavirus, agreed adding it was "absolutely crucially important" not to let up on restrictions at this point.

"We don't expect to make any changes to the measures currently in place at that point and we won't until we're confident, as confident as we realistically can be, that any such changes can be safely made," Raab said.

Worldwide, there have been 1.87 million cases and more than 116,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Earlier Monday, China reported more than 100 new cases, its highest daily tally since early March, but noted that all but 10 were imported.

China has seen a steady decline in new cases since a peak in early February. But as China's indigenous infections have declined, its number of imported cases have climbed, sparking fears of a second wave.

To stem imported cases, Beijing has adopted measures that include closing border checkpoints with Russia, where many imported cases originated.

More than 3,340 deaths related to the outbreak have been reported in China.

Scenes from a pandemic: World copes with COVID-19

Pedestrians walk past a police vehicle in Jerusalem on April 12. The Israeli government deployed 1,000 police officers to enforce a full closure on Jewish religious neighborhoods with the highest rate of coronavirus. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Visitors walk by the St. Joseph Catholic Church, closed due to the pandemic, on Easter in Beijing on April 12. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
A message "Together we can all win" is displayed at the Tokyo Skytree on April 11. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Fewer than usual pedestrians are seen on the street at Kabukicho shopping and entertainment district in Tokyo on April 11. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Fewer than usual pedestrians are seen on the street at Akihabara shopping district in Tokyo on April 11. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A pedestrian watches people ride their bikes in Beijing on April 9. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
China's capital is slowing returning to "normal" life from severe safety measures as the government slowly lifts some restrictions on travel and social interactions. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Medical personnel stand outside the Muscat Medical Center as people leave quarantine, arriving through a border crossing into the Gaza strip on April 6. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Palestinians leave the Muscat Medical Center after 21 days in quarantine, following an order to protect against potential coronavirus spread in the Gaza strip. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 5. Pool Photo by Haring Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
The Palm Sunday Mass was celebrated without the presence of the public as Italy battles the coronavirus. Pool Photo by Haring Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
A Catholic priest reads on Palm Sunday in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 5. The traditional Palm Sunday Procession on the Mount of Olives was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Youths dressed as clowns put on a show on the street to entertain children confined at home in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Few pedestrians walk at Joshidai koji entertainment district in Nagoya, Aichi-Prefecture, Japan on April 5. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Tourists take photos at Maruyama Park in Kyoto, Japan, on April 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Tourists visit Chinatown in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan, on April 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Palestinians make cakes shaped like a character wearing a mask in a bakery in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 3. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
A woman shops in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, on April. 2. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
A Chinese couple have their wedding photos taken in Beijing on April 2, as government officials pushing to get the economy back on track. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Shelves are fully stocked with food products and toilet paper as grocery stores remain relatively empty in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Devotees pray at distance at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on April. 2. The cases of coronavirus have jumped in Israeli Ultra-Orthodox cities, amid growing concerns of a major outbreak of COVID-19 in the religious communities. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Shmuel Rabinovitch, the rabbi of the Western Wall, wears a protective mask while praying. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
A man walks in an empty arrivals hall in the Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, on April 1. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Pedestrians walk in the streets of Beijing on March 29. China's capital is slowly returning to normal amid a sharp fall in the number of new coronavirus cases and the return of spring weather. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis, isolated in front of an empty square from the sagrato of St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, offers an extraordinary moment of prayer in time of pandemic, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, on March 27. The "Salus Populi Romani" icon and the crucifix of St. Marcellus, are placed in front of the central door of the basilica. Vatican media broadcast the ceremony live to the world and it could also be followed in several languages on Facebook and YouTube. Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
Pope Francis prays on the sagrato of St. Peter's Square to deliver a special Urbi et Orbi Blessing to the world. Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
A Palestinian sits outside a shuttered shop on an empty street in Jerusalem's Old City on March 28. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
A shopper wears a protective mask and gloves outside the Old City. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Member of Japan's Ground Self Defense Force disinfect after assisting passengers from Europe at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, Japan on March 28. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Quarantine officers wearing face masks and face shields check the body temperature of a passenger at a quarantine station at Narita International Airport. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
The streets of downtown London are near empty on March 27 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a national lockdown from the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today that he is self-isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
The street near Parliament in London is empty. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
A member of Magen David Adom wears protective clothing while working in a coronavirus testing drive-through tent in Jerusalem on March 27. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
The Israeli government has imposed tight restrictions of movement, leaving only essential stores open in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
A cyclist rides on an empty street in Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo
Security forces keep their distance to protect themselves from a potential infection as they check residents for the documents allowing them to be on the streets of Paris near the Eiffel Tower on March 26. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo
People in Beijing visit a fashion galleria on March 26. China's capital is slowly returning to normal amid a sharp fall in the number of new coronavirus cases and the return of spring weather. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Visitors have their temperature checked by security at the galleria. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Mohamed abu Daga (L) and his bride Israa wear face masks during a photo shoot at a studio before their wedding ceremony in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on March 23. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
The National Mall is empty after Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser stopped vehicle access and closed pedestrian access to the cherry blossoms on March 23. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Volunteers disinfect the interior of a mosque. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Palestinian children play video games in the southern Gaza Strip on March 22. The United Nations has warned that a COVID-19 outbreak in Gaza could be disastrous, given the high poverty rates and weak health system in the coastal strip under Israeli blockade since 2007. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
A group of students visit a tourist area as the threat of the deadly coronavirus fades in Beijing on March 22, 2020. China has reported no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases for the first time since the pandemic began. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Marina Street in Barcelona is scarcely populated on March 21. Photo by Andreu Dalmau/EPA-EFE
A security guard eats at a neighborhood checkpoint as the threat of the coronavirus fades in Beijing on March 21. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
A delivery driver hauls boxes to a store. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
A trader puts on his vest on an empty floor at the New York Stock Exchange after the closing bell on Wall Street in New York City on March 20. The New York Stock Exchange will close down the floor and will move temporarily to fully electronic trading on March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
An informational guidebook is held by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 20. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Palestinian health workers clean the courtyard of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees school wearing protective gear to help prevent the spread of coronavirus at Khan Youns refugee camp in southern Gaza on March 18. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Gaza has not confirmed any infections, but doctors in many cases believe the virus has arrived and fear that a lack of disease surveillance systems -- shortages of tests, basic supplies and properly trained professionals -- is allowing an invisible pandemic to spread. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
A thermographic camera checks arriving passengers' body temperature at a quarantine station at Narita International Airport in Chiba prefecture, Japan on March 16. Japanese government requests that people arriving from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Iran wait for two weeks at designated facilities or their home in Japan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A lone passenger walks through baggage claim. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A man sits in a bus station in central Tel Aviv on March 16. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE
A traveler takes photos of a departure board showing canceled flights at Tokyo International Airport on March 15. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
A shopper grabs a few cans of soup in an aisle of near-empty shelves in a San Francisco store on March 12. Photo by Peter DaSilva/UPI | License Photo
A woman walks by the Broadway venue for Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite" in New York City on March 12. Broadway shows and other large gatherings have been canceled as coronavirus continues to spread in the United States. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Drive-through COVID-19 testing is performed by appointment at the Kaiser Permanente French Campus in San Francisco on March 12. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
Travelers stand in line at the Adolfo-Suarez Barajas International Airport in Madrid on March 12, the morning after Trump announced the travel ban on flights from Europe. Photo by Emilio Naranjo/EPA-EFE
Medical personnel wearing protective gear help the family of a patient carry her to a CT scan in the Rassolakram hospital in Tehran on March 11. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/UPI | License Photo
Shoppers don masks on Clement Street in San Francisco on March 11. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a televised prime-time address from the Oval Office on March 11, announcing that travelers from most European countries would not be allowed to enter the United States for 30 days. Pool Photo by Doug Mills/UPI | License Photo
Palestinian municipality workers wearing protective gear disinfect a park to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Gaza on March 11. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
A cyclist passes the Hoover Tower on the usually bustling Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, Calif., on March 10. Stanford is among many campuses around the world closing to protect from the virus. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
Purple ribbons hang outside of the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue in New Rochelle, N.Y. on March 10. A 1-mile containment zone around the city in Westchester County was set up in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., uses hand sanitizer during a committee meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 10. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo
Guests have their temperature checked before being allowed to enter an international shopping mall in Beijing on March 10. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits patients via video calls on March 10 at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, where the outbreak began. Photo by Ju Peng/EPA-EFE/XINHUA
The cruise ship Grand Princess is seen 15 miles off the California coast as it waits to enter San Francisco Bay on March 9. The ship was being held in quarantine with 21 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 aboard. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo
The CDC has been criticized for a slow rollout of test kits in the United States, along with other problems. Photo courtesy of CDC | License Photo
This illustration, created at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Image courtesy of CDC | License Photo
A notice posted at St.Thomas's Hospital in London on March 9 proclaims a lack of face masks. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
A girl wears a protective face mask outside a shop selling hand sanitizer in Beijing on March 8. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcades, Italy's oldest active shopping mall, stands nearly empty in Milan. Italian authorities have taken the drastic measure of putting the whole country on lockdown. Photo by Matteo Corner/EPA-EFE
Shelves are empty in a grocery store on March 5, after panic buying in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
The Seoul subway mascot, Ddota, promotes the use of hand sanitizer in South Korea on March 4. South Korea's efforts to contain the virus offer lessons for other countries. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
A street in Seoul's Namdaemun market, a popular tourist destination, is nearly empty on March 4. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
Health workers in biohazard suits treat patients at a drive-through coronavirus testing center at Seoul Metropolitan Eunpyeong Hospital on March 4. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Debbie Birx speaks during a press briefing as Pence listens at the White House on March 4. Pence is leading the federal response to the outbreak. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo
A worker sprays disinfectant inside a Vietnam Airlines airplane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 3. Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA-EFE
Researchers with the Emerging Infectious Disease branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, conduct studies in order to find a solution for the coronavirus, on March 3. Photo by USAMRDC/UPI | License Photo
Pedestrians walk near the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City on March 3. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Office workers wearing face masks are seen at the Shinjuku station in Tokyo on March 2. Some companies are granting flexible-time work schedules or work from home to curb the spread of new coronavirus infections. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Tokyo Disneyland, closed to curb the spread of the virus, in Urayasu, Chiba-Prefecture, Japan, was empty of tourists on February 29. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo
Trump takes questions on the coronavirus outbreak at the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 26. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI. | License Photo
A hospital worker in a biohazard suit checks his phone at Daegu Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea on February 21. Most of South Korea's cases were traced to a secretive religious organization, where a "super spreader" with the virus came in contact with hundreds. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
Transit workers use a thermal sensor to check a passenger's body temperature at a subway station in Daegu, South K