<p>The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China's zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy is not sustainable given what is known of the disease, in rare public comments by the UN agency on a government's handling of the virus.</p>.<p>"We don't think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.</p>.<p>Speaking after Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of a "zero-Covid" policy on human rights also needs to be taken into consideration alongside the effect on a country's economy from any Covid policy.</p>.<p>He also noted that China has registered 15,000 deaths since the virus first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 - a relatively low number compared with 999,475 in the United States and more than 500,000 in India.</p>.<p>With that in mind, it is understandable, Ryan said, that one of the world's most populous countries would want to take tough measures to curb coronavirus contagion.</p>.<p>Still, China's zero-Covid policy has drawn criticism ranging from scientists to its own citizens, leading to a cycle of lockdowns of many millions of people, anguish and anger.</p>.<p>The continued outbreaks also underscore how difficult it is to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.</p>.<p>Under zero-Covid, authorities lock down large population areas to stamp out viral spread in response to any coronavirus outbreak, even if just a small number of people test positive.</p>.<p>Shanghai's measures have been particularly strict, with residents allowed out of compounds only for exceptional reasons, such as a medical emergency. Many are not even allowed out of their front doors to mingle with neighbours.</p>.<p>Its quarantine policy has also been criticised for separating children from parents and putting asymptomatic cases among those with symptoms.</p>
<p>The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China's zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy is not sustainable given what is known of the disease, in rare public comments by the UN agency on a government's handling of the virus.</p>.<p>"We don't think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.</p>.<p>Speaking after Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of a "zero-Covid" policy on human rights also needs to be taken into consideration alongside the effect on a country's economy from any Covid policy.</p>.<p>He also noted that China has registered 15,000 deaths since the virus first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 - a relatively low number compared with 999,475 in the United States and more than 500,000 in India.</p>.<p>With that in mind, it is understandable, Ryan said, that one of the world's most populous countries would want to take tough measures to curb coronavirus contagion.</p>.<p>Still, China's zero-Covid policy has drawn criticism ranging from scientists to its own citizens, leading to a cycle of lockdowns of many millions of people, anguish and anger.</p>.<p>The continued outbreaks also underscore how difficult it is to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.</p>.<p>Under zero-Covid, authorities lock down large population areas to stamp out viral spread in response to any coronavirus outbreak, even if just a small number of people test positive.</p>.<p>Shanghai's measures have been particularly strict, with residents allowed out of compounds only for exceptional reasons, such as a medical emergency. Many are not even allowed out of their front doors to mingle with neighbours.</p>.<p>Its quarantine policy has also been criticised for separating children from parents and putting asymptomatic cases among those with symptoms.</p>