Lifting coronavirus lockdowns could ‘reignite’ disease as WHO warns it will ‘be with us a long time’

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said Covid-19 "will be with us for a long time".

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Coronavirus has infected more 2.6million globally and more than 181,000 people have died.

Dr Tedros warned during a press conference yesterday that while the epidemic in Western Europe appeared to be stable or in decline that the killer bug was only starting to spread elsehwere.

He said: "And some (countries) that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases.

"Make no mistake - we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time."

He added: "There is no question that stay-at-home orders and other physical distancing measures have successfully suppressed transmission in many countries. But this virus remains extremely dangerous.

"Early evidence suggests most of the world's population remains susceptible. That means epidemics can easily reignite.

"One of the greatest dangers we face now is complacency."

Dr Tedros' grim warning comes as some European countries are looking to ease their lockdown restrictions.

France and Holland are looking to re-open schools after weeks of lockdowns.

French primary school pupils will return to school on May 11 for lessons restricted to around 15 children per class.

Youngsters across Holland will also be allowed to return to lessons from May 11 but only on a part-time basis.

Older children in France can return on May 18 if schools have met strict health conditions set out by the state.

LOCKDOWNS LIFTED

Italy is also hoping to start easing its lockdown from May 4.

And Germany has already reopened a number of non-essential shops after the country saw a drop in deaths.

For the first time in weeks, some regions allowed shops to reopen on Monday.

Stores smaller than 8,600 sq ft were allowed to welcome customers again as long as they adhere to the social distancing measures.

Schools remain largely closed but classes about to graduate this summer will gradually resume and universities will be allowed to hold exams in a number of weeks.

Austria has begun lifting its strict lockdown after certain shops were given the green light to re-open.

Spain made a U-turn on their decision to allow children to enjoy a walk with their parents outside from this Sunday - after the government was labelled a “joke” by Spaniards.

They have been prevented from leaving home since mid-March when Spain’s state of emergency began.

Spain has also extended their current lockdown to May 9.

It comes as Dr Tedros brushed off calls for him to resign after US President Donald Trump announced he would halt funding for the WHO.

A group of Republican politicians in the House of Representatives suggested the president's condition to making voluntary contributions to the WHO was based Dr Tedros' resignation.

In a letter, led by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 17 Republicans said they had lost faith in Dr Tedros.

When asked if was considering that, Dr Tedros said: "I will continue to work day and night because this is a blessed work, actually, and responsibility saving lives, and I will focus on that."