DIRECTOR-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Wednesday that the organisation has characterised coronavirus as a pandemic.
He said: "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.
"Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO's assessment of the threat posed by this coronavirus. It doesn't change what WHO is doing, and it doesn't change what countries should do."
He added: "We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time. WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases.
"We have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear."
READ MORE: Coronavirus Live: WHO declares Covid-19 is a global pandemic
He has appealed to affected countries to "detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilise" to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak worsening.
"We cannot say this loudly enough or clearly enough or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic," he told a briefing in Geneva.
"If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace, and mobilise their people in their response, those with a handful of cases can prevent those cases becoming clusters and those clusters becoming community transmission."
"Every sector and every individual" must be involved in the fight against coronavirus, according to the director-general of the World Health Organisation.
He told a briefing: "This is not just a public health crisis. It's a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight.
"I have said from the beginning that countries must take all of government – all of society – approach, built around a comprehensive strategy to prevent infections, save lives and minimise impact."
He summarised the key areas in tackling the outbreak as "prepare and be ready", "detect, protect and treat", "reduce transmission" and "innovate and learn".
He added: "This is everybody's business. Find, isolate, test, and treat every case and trace every contact."
The 747 jet carrying 135 British nationals and their dependants who had been aboard a cruise liner quarantined over a Covid-19 outbreak, has landed at Birmingham Airport.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here