WHO’s Kluge: UK still in very active phase of pandemic, should not rush into further economic reopening

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper on Sunday, World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional European Director Hans Kluge urged that England should not announce further easing of the coronavirus pandemic-imposed restrictions until the government’s contact-tracing system proves to be “robust and effective”.

Kluge cautioned that Britain remained in a "very active phase of the pandemic" and warned against rushing into reopening the economy.

“Contact tracing is key especially as the UK starts to relax the social and physical distancing measures. There has to be a robust track-and-trace system in place of operation,” he added.

Market reaction        

The sentiment remains tepid amid fresh virus cases reported in Beijing, Tokyo, Texas, etc. The pound has tracked the losses in other higher-yielding currencies, with GBP/USD down 0.26% to trade just above the 1.2500 level.