The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday, April 21 that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections, Reuters reports.

Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function while the coronavirus is being kept in check, said Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

Until a vaccine is found, the process of adapting to the epidemic will have to become a new normal, Kasai told an online press conference.

There are now almost 2.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus worldwide, more than 650,000 of which have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking figures from the World Health Organization and additional sources.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, more than 170,000 people have died globally from Covid-19 complications.