US President Donald Trump on Monday celebrated recent remarks by a World Health Organization leader that indefinite COVID-19 lockdowns are wrong.
“The World Health Organization, did you see what happened? They got out a little while ago and they admitted Donald Trump was right,” Trump said at a large rally in Sanford, Florida.
“The lockdowns do enormous damage to these Democratic-led states where they are locked up, sealed. Suicide rate, drug rate, alcoholism, mortality from so many different forms. You can’t do that, ”Trump said.
Trump slammed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to say in August, it would seek to reimpose severe restrictions if scientists advise.
“Biden would end our recovery, delay the vaccine, extend the pandemic, and wipe out Florida’s economy with a drastic, unscientific lockdown – that’s what he wants to do, lock down, lock down everyone,” said Trump told the crowd.
“And you know what? If you don’t feel good going out, stay, relax, stay. You know the groups at risk, you know the elderly,” said Trump.
WHO envoy Dr David Nabarro said this week in a video interview with Spectator magazine that restrictive shutdowns should only be used as a last resort.
“We at the World Health Organization are not advocating lockdowns as the primary means of controlling this virus,” Nabarro said.
“The only time we think a lockdown is warranted is to give you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but overall we prefer do not do it.”
Nabarro said strict restrictions were causing significant damage, especially to the global economy.
“Lockouts have only one consequence that you should never, ever belittle, and that makes the poor much poorer,” he said.
He added that the lockdowns have severely affected countries that depend on tourism.“You just have to look at what happened to the tourism industry in the Caribbean, for example, or the Pacific because people don’t take their vacations,” Nabarro said on the exit.
“Look what happened to smallholders around the world. Look at what is happening to the poverty levels. It looks like we might have a doubling of world poverty by next year. We may well have at least a doubling of child malnutrition. “
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