Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned nations not to rush in removing the lockdowns as it will increase the global spread of coronavirus. DG WHO said that lifting bans could make coronavirus spread again and its economic effects could be even longer. The WHO recommends that all countries should completely support basic public health initiatives, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advised. “We are all aware of the intense social and economic consequences of the pandemic,” Tedros said further by asserting, “Ultimately the best way for countries to end restrictions and ease their economic effects is to attack the virus.” World leaders — several of whom have been stricken or forced into isolation — are still grappling for ways to deal with a crisis that will have economic and social shockwaves unseen since World War II. US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed “closer cooperation” on the pandemic and talked about plunging oil prices in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said. In Russia, Putin urged residents of Moscow to “very seriously” respect a lockdown that has seen the closure of all non-essential shops, including restaurants and cafes, in Europe’s largest city. Red Square in the heart of Moscow was deserted and the surrounding streets were quiet. In Israel, meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the latest world leader to enter isolation and German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s third coronavirus test came back negative. The lockdowns are causing hardship across the world but particularly in impoverished cities in Africa and Asia.