Coronavirus: WHO says Asian countries must take ‘aggressive measures’
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that some Asian nations need to take “aggressive measures” to stop the spread of coronavirus as the number of confirmed worldwide cases inches toward 200,000 and the death toll reaches 7,500.
The WHO warning was aimed toward South East Asian countries amidst fears that numbers could soon surge in the region, leaving health systems unable to cope.
The cluster of countries has not seen as many confirmed Covid-19 cases as Western Europe or Eastern Asia thus far, however the WHO has warned that a wider outbreak could be imminent.
Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines have begun to rollout stricter border measures to stop the spread of the virus, with the WHO advising neighbouring countries to follow suit.
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of the WHO South East Asia region, said yesterday that other countries in the region needed to do similarly.
“We need to immediately scale up all efforts to prevent the virus from infecting more people,” he said.
“Practising social distancing [could] not be emphasised enough… this alone has the potential to substantially reduce transmission.”
“We clearly need to do more, and urgently.”
Radical isolation and quarantine measures have now been implemented across the western world.
The EU effectively shut its borders yesterday for all but essential travel, while the UK has advised against anyone leaving the country.
The US has banned all incoming and outgoing flights to Europe and China, with flights to other parts of the globe drastically reduced.
Governments of western European countries have increasingly advised, or forced, their citizens to stay at home and avoid unnecessary social contact.
The economic impact of the unprecedented measures is expected to be catastrophic as governments look to pour in fiscal stimulus.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £350bn stimulus package to protect businesses affected by the pandemic, while French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged €300bn.
The US stimulus package, announced yesterday by Donald Trump and US treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, could reach $1trn.