World-Health-Organization-who-1280x720The World Health Organization’s top emergencies expert said on Friday that European governments must take decisive action to shut down transmission of the coronavirus, including by curbing mass gatherings, to avoid more painful lockdowns. Europe surpassed 100,000 daily reported COVID-19 cases for the first time on Thursday, after countries such as Russia and Britain saw no respite from the mounting number of infections every day in the past five. “There are no new answers. We know what we need to do,” Mike Ryan told a news briefing in Geneva. “It is though sad to see many countries in Europe experiencing a rapid rise in cases and governments do have to take decisive action in order to try and shut down transmission.” Older populations and other vulnerable groups likely to suffer severe disease must be protected, he added. Physical distancing, wearing masks, and proper ventilation remained key, Ryan said. “We need to be very, very careful with any forms of mass gatherings that bring people together at close quarters.”