WHO Warns Europe of Rising COVID-19 Cases

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) European chief, Hans Kluge, warned on September 17 that the recent surge in coronavirus cases across Europe should serve as "a wake-up call for all of us.”

In the past two weeks, new coronavirus cases have doubled in more than half of European nations. Europe recorded nearly 300,000 new infections over the last week, more than the total number of weekly cases recorded during the first peak in March.

Kluge also added that "[a]lthough these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region.”

In order to prevent a new surge in cases, Kluge urged lawmakers to reconsider any reductions in their quarantine measures, citing June’s decline in coronavirus cases as clear evidence that lockdowns work.

France has heeded the advice of Mr. Kluge and other experts. The nation has implemented a new COVID-19 relief system that mandates a different level of lockdown must be enforced based on the infection rates of each city. For example, the French government ordered the city of Marseille to immediately close all bars and restaurants and submit a plan by this weekend regarding containing the second surge based on its evaluation within the new system’s framework.

Meanwhile in Spain, total infections have surpassed 700,000. Madrid, a hotspot for the virus, accounts for a third of the country’s total hospitalized cases with around 500 daily hospitalizations this past week. In response, officials have worked on new preventive measures and expect to implement them shortly. 

Germany and Italy, where relatively fewer cases arose in early September, also anticipate seeing a second surge. 

Despite early hopes of avoiding a second wave altogether, according to the WHO, not only will a second surge arrive, but it has already begun in some regions. Without significant lockdown measures, experts warn of dire consequences.