On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there will be no return to normal in the foreseeable future because of the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference “I want to be straight with you: There will be no return to the ‘old normal’ for the foreseeable future.” Tedros emphasized that if the public doesn’t follow public health advice like wearing masks, the outbreak is “going to get worse and worse and worse.”
“Let me be blunt: Too many countries are headed in the wrong direction,” Tedros said, “The virus remains public enemy No. 1, but the actions of many governments and people do not reflect this.” He added that the Americas remains the epicenter of the outbreak, reporting over half of the world’s infections.
The WHO warning comes at a time when more than 13 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of deaths. This also comes when the resurgence of the pandemic ignited fierce debate about whether to reopen schools. Despite threats from the Trump administration, Public schools in Los Angeles and San Diego announced that they will continue with online classes this fall (news).
America, which is still reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, still struggles with basic messaging around benefits of wearing face masks in public. Videos of customers at supermarkets refusing to wear face masks are periodically going viral (Yet another Costco Face Mask video goes viral || Video of ‘Costco Karen’ Goes Viral after she throws a temper Tantrum when asked to Wear Face Mask