WHO Europe chief urges nations to continue with two-week COVID-19 quarantine rule

World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe director Dr. Hans Kluge warned nations against shortening the two-week quarantine period on Thursday, September 17. According to reports, Kluge stressed that “even a slight reduction in the length of the quarantine” could have a major effect on the spread of COVID-19 which returned to “alarming rates of transmission” in Europe this month. The WHO official added that the quarantine should only be reduced if it is scientifically justified.

'Wake up call'

While WHO has repeatedly asserted that it won’t change its two-week quarantine rule, there are many nations that have lessened the number of days in isolation. As per reports, in France, a person is required to self isolate for just 7 days while in countries like the United Kingdom and Ireland, the quarantine days have been reduced to 10.

Meanwhile, Europe has recorded more than 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last week. While speaking at an online press conference from Copenhagen, Kluge said that the number of COVID-19 cases seen in September "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us” and emphasised on “regional coherence”.

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As per the latest tally by US-based John Hopkins University, the European continent has reported a total of 4,238,386  positive cases and 214,531 fatalities till now. Kluge said that Europe’s response has been effective when “prompt and resolute. But the virus has shown (to be) merciless whenever partisanship and disinformation prevailed”.

Talking about the 14 days quarantine rule, WHO Europe’s senior health emergency officer, Katie Smallwood said, “We would only revise that on a basis of a change in our understanding of the science, and so far that’s not the case”. She added, “We would really re-emphasise that our position is that a 14-day quarantine is important for patients that have been exposed to the virus”. 

Read: WHO Reports Highest One-day Spike In Global Coronavirus Cases

This comes as the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU members to build a stronger health union, stressing that people were “still suffering”. Delivering her first annual State of the European Union address, Von der Leyen said that they must continue to handle this pandemic with extreme care, responsibility, and unity.

“For me, it is crystal clear – we need to build a stronger European Health Union. And to start making this a reality, we must now draw the first lessons from the health crisis,” the European Commission President added.

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(Image Credits: AP)