(Geneva) Keeping the borders closed is not a “viable” strategy to fight against the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday while recognizing the difficulty of having a global strategy to internationally.
Posted on 27 July 2020 at 12 h 06
France Media Agency
“It will become almost impossible for countries to keep their borders closed in the near future,” said D r Michael Ryan, WHO Director of Emergencies, at a virtual press conference.
Many countries around the world are closing their borders to nationals coming from risk areas or imposing quarantines and tests, but without a concerted strategy.
“Keeping international borders closed is not necessarily a viable strategy”, underlined the D r Ryan.
“Economies must reopen, people must work, trade must resume,” he admitted, while acknowledging that each state must take into account individually the risks of opening its borders.
“It is very difficult to have a policy that works for everyone. If I am a small nation without a COVID case – 19, a single (imported) case can be a disaster. In a country with a high incidence of the disease, closing the border may not make any difference, ”he continued.
“Travel restriction measures must be taken in conjunction with other measures,” he stressed. “Alone as such, they are not effective in limiting the movement of the virus, which is everywhere,” the WHO official added.
“But it is very difficult to define a global policy”, he repeated, stressing that the nature of the risk was determined by local and national situations.
