London turns deserted in the lockdown. (Photo: VNA)

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the media on Wednesday that many countries have imposed unprecedented lockdown of their populations to prevent the spread of Covid-19. But on its own, the lockdown will not extinguish the epidemic but its point is to enable the more precise and targeted measures that are needed to stop transmission and save lives, the WHO chief said.

He recommended key actions to use this second window of opportunity: expand, train, and deploy the health care and public health workforce; implement a system to find every suspected case at community level; ramp up the production, capacity and availability of testing; equip facilities to treat and isolate patients; and develop a clear plan and process to quarantine contacts; and refocus the whole of governments on suppressing and controlling Covid-19.