한국, 중국, 독일, 봉쇄완화 이후 재확산 긴장... WHO 한국 대응시스템 갖춰
There are a handful of countries around the world that had largely contained COVID-19 and decided to try and return to a certain degree of normalcy.
However, attempting to go back to life as we knew it pre-virus, seems more complicated and risky than many had expected.
Kim Do-yeon has the details.
While people are looking forward to going back to their normal lives after COVID-19, it seems it'll be harder than anyone expected.
Some countries that flattened the curve and eased lockdowns are already feeling the threat of possible second wave infections.
For example, South Korea gained international praise for its response to COVID-19, seeing its number of local infections drop to zero for a period of time.
However, as the country eased measures to distancing in daily life from social distancing, people flooded onto the streets... leading to an explosion of cases stemming from a number of nightclubs in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul.
Confirmed nationwide infections linked to the Itaewon case has surpassed 100.
Germany, which has the seventh most confirmed cases in the world, eased its lockdown recently as it saw its COVID-19 reproduction rate, or "R" rate, drop below 0.7.
However, after the lockdown was eased, the R rate jumped back above 1.0... which is what experts call a tipping point in controlling infectious diseases.
In another instance, Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first case of COVID-19 was reported, saw a cluster of cases a month after reopening.
The city reported five new cases, all from the same residential area.
As these instances were reported, the WHO emphasized the complexity of reopening economies at this stage.
"To protect lives and livelihoods a slow, steady lifting of lockdowns is key to both stimulating economies while also keeping a vigilant eye on the virus, so that control measures can be quickly implemented if an upswing in cases is identified."
While the cases are alarming, the WHO says it's confident the affected countries have the right systems in place to control the uptick in cases.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.
