Step up coronavirus control measures, WHO urges nations

Ghebreyesus says it is still possible to rein it in, as some countries clamped fresh restrictions on citizens; death toll crosses 556,140, over 12.3m infected; US reports 64,000 new cases in 24 hours

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries grappling with coronavirus to step up control measures, saying it is still possible to rein it in, as some nations clamp fresh restrictions on citizens.

With case numbers worldwide more than doubling in the past six weeks, Uzbekistan on Friday returned to lockdown and Hong Kong said schools would close from Monday after the city recorded “exponential growth” in locally transmitted infections.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to adopt an aggressive approach, highlighting Italy, Spain, South Korea and India’s biggest slum to show it was possible to stop the spread, no matter how bad the outbreak.

The health agency’s comments came as US President Donald Trump was forced to cancel an election rally in New Hampshire, citing an approaching storm.

Trump has pushed to hold large gatherings against health advice as epidemiologists warn of the dangers posed by the virus moving through the air in crowded and confined spaces.

On a visit to Florida on Friday, Trump hit out at Beijing over the pandemic.