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‘Not worth the risk’: WHO warns people against gathering at Christmas

‘Not worth the risk’: WHO warns people against gathering at Christmas

By Benjamin Cooper, PA

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appealed to people to stay home during the holiday season as it is “not worth the risk” of catching Covid-19.

With restrictions on household mixing and inter-county travel relaxing from Friday, the WHO said “the safest thing to do right now is to remain at home”.

The organisation’s regional director for Europe Dr Hans Kluge said: “There remains a difference between what you are being permitted to do by your authorities and what you should do.”

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In a statement, he said: “We have a few more months of sacrifice ahead and can behave now in a way that collectively we are proud of. When we look back at these unprecedented times, I hope we all felt we acted with a spirit of shared humanity to protect those in need.”

Dr Kluge said the pandemic’s “devastation” had hit communities across Europe.

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“Covid-19 has forced families and communities apart, bankrupted businesses, and deprived people of opportunities that a year ago were taken for granted,” he said.

“From anxieties around virus transmission, the psychological impact of lockdowns and self-isolation, to the effects of unemployment, financial worries and social exclusion – the mental health impact of the pandemic will be long term and far reaching.

“What has resulted is a growing mental health crisis in Europe.”

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