The World Health Organisation no longer considers Covid-19 a global health emergency.
However, WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat and thousands of people are still fighting for their lives in intensive care units. Covid-19 was first declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020 - the highest level of alarm under international law.
He said: "This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it is still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths.
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"The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that Covid-19 is nothing to worry about."
Dr Tedros explained that "it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing the virus alongside other infectious diseases". He also warned: "If need be, I will not hesitate to convene another Emergency Committee should Covid-19 once again put our world in peril."
Dr Tedros said that he has decided to use a provision in the International Health Regulations that has never been used before, to establish a Review Committee to develop long-term, standing recommendations for countries on how to manage the virus on an ongoing basis.
He added: "In addition, WHO this week published the 4th edition of the Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19, which outlines critical actions for countries in five core areas: collaborative surveillance, community protection, safe and scalable care, access to countermeasures, and emergency coordination."
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