(CNN) Countries should not ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions until they meet five criteria -- and many nations are not even close, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet medical journal. The research, published Thursday, said that the prerequisites for easing Covid-19 measures are: knowledge of infection status, community engagement, adequate public health capacity, adequate health system capacity and border controls. The study also found that an effective find, test, trace, isolate, support system is needed to safely reopen. Other nations, including Japan, Germany, South Korea, and (in some cases) the UK, are lifting or reimposing restrictions on the basis of epidemiological thresholds. Singapore, South Korea, and the UK repurposed large spaces as community care facilities, but the UK facilities were understaffed and underused compared with the other two countries.

Source: CNN September 24, 2020 22:41 UTC