WHO says US federal coronavirus plan is clear and science-based

A top World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday that the United States seemed to have a "very clearly laid-out", science-based federal plan for fighting its coronavirus epidemics.

"The federal government and the system of governors are working together to move America and its people through this very difficult situation," Dr Mike Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert, told a virtual briefing in Geneva, adding that the federal system linking 50 states made the situation "complex".

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Ryan repeated an earlier WHO warning against easing restrictions too soon. Speaking specifically about the U.S. plans to ease confinement measures, he said: "We believe that the over-arching federal plan seems to be very much based on science."

"We hope that the US government and its people can move through this plan, work through day-to-day how to do that and find a successful solution that reduces the impact on people's lives and livelihoods."