한국, 중국, 독일, 봉쇄완화 이후 재확산 긴장... WHO 한국 대응시스템 갖춰<br /><br /> There are a handful of countries around the world that had largely contained COVID-19 and decided to try and return to a certain degree of normalcy.<br />However, attempting to go back to life as we knew it pre-virus, seems more complicated and risky than many had expected. <br />Kim Do-yeon has the details. <br /> While people are looking forward to going back to their normal lives after COVID-19, it seems it'll be harder than anyone expected.<br />Some countries that flattened the curve and eased lockdowns are already feeling the threat of possible second wave infections. <br /> For example, South Korea gained international praise for its response to COVID-19, seeing its number of local infections drop to zero for a period of time. <br />However, as the country eased measures to distancing in daily life from social distancing, people flooded onto the streets... leading to an explosion of cases stemming from a number of nightclubs in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul. <br />Confirmed nationwide infections linked to the Itaewon case has surpassed 100. <br /> Germany, which has the seventh most confirmed cases in the world, eased its lockdown recently as it saw its COVID-19 reproduction rate, or "R" rate, drop below 0.7. <br />However, after the lockdown was eased, the R rate jumped back above 1.0... which is what experts call a tipping point in controlling infectious diseases.<br /> In another instance, Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first case of COVID-19 was reported, saw a cluster of cases a month after reopening.<br />The city reported five new cases, all from the same residential area. <br />As these instances were reported, the WHO emphasized the complexity of reopening economies at this stage.<br /><br />"To protect lives and livelihoods a slow, steady lifting of lockdowns is key to both stimulating economies while also keeping a vigilant eye on the virus, so that control measures can be quickly implemented if an upswing in cases is identified."<br /><br /> While the cases are alarming, the WHO says it's confident the affected countries have the right systems in place to control the uptick in cases.<br />Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
