Nov 2, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced late on Sunday that he will self-quarantine after he was identified as a contact for someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
“I have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for #COVID19,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet.
The 55-year-old former Ethiopian foreign minister also assured his followers that he is fine as he does not have any symptoms.
“I am well and without symptoms but will self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home,” he added.
It is critically important that we all comply with health guidance. This is how we will break chains of #COVID19 transmission, suppress the virus, and protect health systems.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 1, 2020
The WHO secretary general has been at the forefront of the United Nations health agency’s efforts to battle the pandemic.
COVID-19 has claimed nearly 1.2 million lives and infected more than 46 million people worldwide since it was first detected in China late last year.
“It is critically important that we all comply with health guidance. This is how we will break chains of #COVID19 transmission, suppress the virus, and protect health systems.”
WHO laid down some of the guidelines that needs to be followed to help contain the spread of the virus which include hand-washing, wearing masks and keeping a distance, while it calls on authorities at various levels to work to find, isolate, test and care for cases, then trace and quarantine their contacts.
His comments came as there is growing anger and exasperation over new coronavirus curbs as several European nations wound back the clocks to the spring with fresh lockdowns and restrictions aimed at halting galloping infections and deaths.
European governments are desperate to stem the worrying spike in infections with the continent registering more than 279,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Geneva, where WHO is headquartered, declared a fresh state of emergency on Sunday and said it would go beyond Swiss national measures and shut down all bars, restaurants and non-essential shops.
The world is also facing the second phase of the pandemic with more that 46.5 million infections and more that 1.2 deaths.
