Head of WHO urges balance between fighting pandemic & respecting human rights

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged all countries on Thursday to “double down” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva that describing Covid-19 as a pandemic “does not mean that countries should give up.”

“The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous,” the official said.

He added that, while maintaining a containment strategy, all countries must “strike a fine balance between protecting health, preventing economic and social disruption, and respecting human rights,” Reuters reported.