WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recognized that many people are getting tired of restrictions and want to return to normality eight months into the pandemic.
The WHO fully supported efforts to reopen economies and societies, he told a news conference, adding: "We want to see children returning to school and people returning to workplaces, but we want to see it done safely."
"No country can just pretend the pandemic is over," he said. "The reality is this virus spreads easily. Opening up without control is a recipe for disaster."
"Explosive outbreaks" have been linked to gatherings of people at stadiums, nightclubs, places of worship and other crowds, where the respiratory virus can spread easily among clusters of people, Tedros said.
"Decisions about how and when to allow gatherings of people must be taken with a risk-based approach, in the local context," he said.