Wuhan 'offer world hope in virus fight'

Young warned against complacency over outbreak

The World Health Organization said on Friday that what has happened in the Chinese city of Wuhan, once the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, offers hope for the rest of the world in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic now spreading rapidly around the globe.

At its regular media briefing on Friday, the WHO said that more than 210,000 cases have now been reported, and more than 9,000 people have died during the pandemic.

"Every day, COVID-19 seems to reach a new and tragic milestone," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference from Geneva. He stressed that this is an incentive to double down on stopping transmission and saving lives.

He cited reports that on Thursday, Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province, had no new cases for the first time since the outbreak began.

"Wuhan provides hope for the rest of the world, that even the most severe situation can be turned around," Tedros said.

Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, agreed, saying that the virus can be pushed back as China and some other countries have shown, clearly referring to South Korea, Japan and Singapore, which have also been successful in controlling the spread of the virus.

Ryan noted that these countries have not adopted exactly the same measures in their comprehensive strategy. But he emphasized that to push back the virus, it is going to take time, effort, solidarity and coordination at community, government and international level.

The WHO has expressed deep concern at the collapse of the market for personal protective equipment which has created extreme difficulties in ensuring health workers' access to the equipment they need.

"This is an area of key concern for us," Tedros said.

He revealed that the WHO has now identified some producers in China which have agreed to supply the WHO.

"We're currently finalizing the arrangements and coordinating shipments so we can refill our warehouse to ship personal protective equipment to whoever needs it most," he said.

He expressed thanks to Jack Ma, founder of China's Alibaba Group, for help to provide essential supplies to countries in need.

At the news conference, the WHO chief also warned that young people are not "invincible", saying that "this coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you".

"Even if you don't get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else," he said.

There has been widespread criticism from Europe to North America that young people have not taken the pandemic seriously, such as not observing social distancing and rules of lockdown.

On Friday, Belgium announced a plan to close its border for "non-essential inbound and outbound travel" to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to Interior Minister Pieter De Crem. Border checks have already been rolled out starting at 3pm on Friday.

Europe has become the epicenter of the pandemic. Italy's death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed that of China, followed by Spain, with its death toll exceeding 1,000 by Friday.

In the United States, California and New York have become the first two states to tell their residents to stay home.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that 100 percent of non-essential workers should stay home. Only essential businesses will be functioning.

Before New York state, California, the most populous state in the US, had ordered its nearly 40 million residents to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"This is a moment where we need some straight talk," California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters. "As individuals and as a community, we need to do more to meet this moment."

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