Hans Kluge, head of the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), urged the EU countries in their opposition to the spread of coronavirus infection to close schools only as a last resort, so that a break in educational activities would not lead to “the loss of a whole generation”.

The WHO European Area, which includes 53 countries, including Russia, has recorded more than 11.8 million cases and nearly 295,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the epidemiological surveillance table. However, in the last 7 days alone, almost 1.8 million new cases have been identified and 19,500 deaths have been reported.

WHO calls on states to take “targeted and proportionate” measures to stop the rise in cases and deaths. The organization estimates that more than 261,000 lives in Europe could be saved by February thanks to the widespread use of masks and strict control over meetings.
However, Kluge believes the schools should be closed only as a last resort. “There is no reason to say that the schools are one of the main breeding grounds of the pandemic. We have to keep them open until the end, because we can’t let a generation get lost because of the coronavirus,” he said.