WHO Backs Easing Some COVID-19 Lockdowns if ‘Sophisticated Surveillance’ in Place

'If you know where the virus is, you can break the chain,' a WHO official said

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (R) and WHO Health Emergencies Program Director Michael Ryan attend a press briefing on COVID-19 in Geneva on March 6, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Countries can plan to end lockdowns in certain regions if they have widespread COVID-19 testing and “very sophisticated surveillance” to spot resurgent virus hotspots, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Responding to a question by a reporter, who at a WHO briefing Friday asked when countries that have few COVID-19 cases could begin to ease onerous lockdowns that are “changing our lives,” WHO Health Emergencies Program Executive Director Michael Ryan said that while the run of the epidemic is unpredictable, containment and mitigation measures should be adapted to the situation on the ground.