The surge in coronavirus infections in the European countries is of great concern, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.

Iran PressEurope: At a press conference in Copenhagen, the WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters it was time to step up the measures as rising case numbers on the continent were of great concern.

But he said the situation was not as bad as the peak in March and April, and stressed that full-on lockdowns where every corner of our society and economy has been halted should be avoided.

"The collateral damage on the people was too much," he said, encouraging governments not to hold back with relatively smaller actions.

People's mental health, the risk of domestic violence, and children's education should all be taken into consideration, he added.

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